Son of a Kitsune
by Dragon and Sword Master
Summary: Small changes can make a huge impact in life. One Uzumaki Naruto will learn the truth of these words with the help of his friends and adopted mother, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Warning, Good Kyuubi. Naruto/harem
1. Addition to the Family

Son of a Kitsune

Dragon and Sword Master: A few people will notice that I changed Sakura Haruno. She will be changed into Sakura Kinomoto from Card Captor Sakura (CCS) and going from there. Rai is an Original character of mine and if anyone needs to know who her tutors are, they are the guardians of Clow in CCS. In addition, if you want to use any of my OCs, please ask.

Phoenix and Staff Master: We would also like to thank Black Saint for his questions and insight of the Naruto universe. Without that, this story would not be as good as it is right now. We urge you at least read his stories; the part where you review is up to you.

Dragon and Sword Master: If you do decide to read any of Black Saint's work, two good stories of his are "Death of A Demon…Birth of a" and Stigma, among other stories.

Edit's Note: Sorry for the small hiatus everyone, but exams as well as my parents were hounding me for my grades. I now have them off my back, but then again with parents being parents...

**Blah Hosaki/Kyuubi talking**

_**Blah**_ Hosaki/Kyuubi thinking

_Blah _Naruto talking to Hosaki/thoughts in general

* * *

Addition to the Family

Sarutobi, once again the Sandaime Hokage, was looking over his village with weary eyes while holding a newborn baby, keeping it safe from the public. Just moments before, the Konoha no Go-Ruden Senkō (Konoha's Golden Flash) of Konohagakure and the newly appointed Yondaime Hokage passed away in order to save the village that he loved.

The saddest thing was…the people he died to protect would not honor his last wish by honoring the fact that this young boy…no, this young man, would have the burden of being the jail cell of the Kyuubi no Yoko, while keeping himself sane from the kitsune king.

_Naruto, I wish your father could have chosen someone different for this life job, although, he would never forgive himself if he did choose that route._ Sarutobi thought to himself while protectively holding the baby in his fragile and brittle hands that did much throughout the Professor's long life. He was now adorned with the robes of the Hokage once again, not that he was happy about it. He knew that the Council did this on purpose to make sure they could keep his power in check, and the bastards knew that he considered Naruto like a son of his, and they wouldn't hesitate to kill him for what they thought he was.

_I now understand why Tsunade and Jiraya vowed never to come back here after they left. I should have joined them, but I could never leave Kazama Arashi__ alone to deal with the darker side of Konoha by himself._ The man was a saint and a genius shinobi, but sadly he was new to politics and ignorant to the blind idealism of the village's elders and the ways they sought to uphold their views. He thought once again as he went behind his desk and got out a small crib. He knew that he couldn't keep Naruto forever, but he'd be damned if he was out of Naruto's life as soon as it began. Turning his face to the small infant that laid asleep in his hands, he frowned at what his life would be like if he was to know of his past. Vowing to tell two people of his true last name, one now and one when he retired, the Professor signed Naruto's birth certificate as Uzumaki Naruto.

Sighing quickly, he called in Hatake Kakashi and explained everything to the man. Taking a few minutes to collect himself, Kakashi said that he couldn't take him in for personal reasons, but he would keep his eye on him. He also vowed to make sure that the Elders of Konoha would not corrupt his sensei's son. The other person was going to be hard to track but if he knew his students, he figured he knew where the seal master would turn up sooner or later.

As Kakashi left, Naruto started to cry after Kakashi's exit awakened him. Sighing quietly, Sarutobi did the best parenting job that he could and tried calming Naruto. After being successful with calming the child down, Sarutobi laid the small child back inside the crib. He knew many other people would want Arashi's son and make him into what they wanted him to be—a tool of Konoha, with an attitude like the Hyuuga's in general or kill him before he got out of hand. He also didn't want him adopted into a family that just wanted him so that they could further their own gain in order to be better off somehow. Therefore, with a long sigh, he put on the Hokage's coat and headed towards the village's orphanage.

**6 years later**

Naruto was just picking himself up off the ground after being thrown out of the place that he had to call home for the past six years, finally glad that he could say that he could kiss that hellhole called an orphanage good-bye. The only thing he didn't understand was why mostly everyone in the village shunned him or tried to hurt him. Sure, he did some pranks to get attention, but he didn't think that the victims of his pranks would act this angry towards him.

As he was heading towards the Hokage's office to seek a place to live, the villagers started throwing words at him as usual. He made sure to recognize those people and vowed to prank them all later. Of course this would be later on when he had a place to live. Moving along quickly, he made it to the courtyard of the Hokage Tower and started climbing the stairs that would lead to one of his few precious people. Seeing an ANBU with a bird mask, he smiled inwardly. This man was Kinomoto 'Thunderbird' Rai, the older brother to his only friend, Sakura, whom he heard was at home for the moment and taking a break from her tutors: Yukito and his summon beast, Cerberus.

As Rai noticed the young blonde coming through, he moved out of the way. Before Naruto went through the door, he quickly waved at Rai, who returned the gesture.

As the Professor heard the door open, he put his pen down and looked towards the door and saw something that still saddened him, but knowing that Naruto hated being pitied; he quickly put that emotion aside. His eyes then went towards being curious as he waited for Naruto to speak. Seeing that he wasn't going to start the conversation, he asked, "Naruto, to what do I owe this visit?" as Naruto took a seat opposite of the medium-sized office area.

"I would like my own home," Naruto said unevenly, as his breath still came raggedly to him.

"I can't do that unless there is something extremely wrong with the orphanage, Naruto. I thought I've told you that before," was the Hokage's response, but it seemed that Naruto wasn't showing his defeated pout look, which meant something was different from before. "What changed?" He asked as his voice had a defeated tone in it. Defeated not because of Naruto's look, but because of what the village had done to the unsung protector.

"The owners kicked me out. It was something along the lines of 'a demon can certainly fend for itself by now' or something along those lines. I've lost count as to how many things they call me by now."

The Hokage frowned at this. He knew that this would probably happen, but he hoped that it didn't come to this. He thought that after making that law that no one was to speak of the Kyuubi attack in order to give Naruto a chance to live a normal life was going to help him, but he guessed it did nothing other then cause people to find other ways to abuse the boy. He knew that he was mistreated, but he didn't know it was going to turn out this bad.

"All right, I'll give you your own apartment on two conditions. One is that I pay for your living costs, which means I am the boss in a sense. The second condition is that you get some food into that body of yours. I will be checking in every once in a while and I expect things to be up to MY expectations…"

"But Oji-san, what makes you think that the idiots who run the food store will allow me of all people to buy anything? I doubt Sakura-chan can convince her older brother to cook meals for me everyday and besides, even if she did do that, I wouldn't want to rely on my friendship in order to get something for myself." Naruto said, making the old man sigh gently. Has the village really done this to a six-year old boy? Has the ignorance and fear of his beloved home driven them to cause pain to a small child to lessen their own?

"There is an old man and his daughter that run a small restaurant near the Academy that I trust very dearly. Tell them that you will do small errands for them in exchange for meals. There names are Asakura Teuchi and Asakura Ayame and before you complain about not being able to train; they are near the Academy so they should have picked up on some ideas or you could practice things that you see from the Academy itself." He said as he handed him a place where he could get an apartment.

Naruto took the piece of paper from his grandfather and opened it and thanked him. He knew that it was in a bad part of the neighborhood, but he couldn't complain, especially since the Hokage was the one paying. Looking at the piece of paper and then glancing up, he didn't notice the few people that were following him. Once he was near his house, and out of the way of the public's eyes, they picked up a few rocks and started to throw them at Naruto. Naruto turned around just in time to receive a fist to his stomach.

"Out for a stroll demon spawn? That's very unwise." One of the villagers said as Naruto fell to the ground below him. As he fell, Naruto crumbled the piece of paper into his fist. His goal through this was to make sure that wasn't found by the people who were attacking him. If they did, he was certain that they would tear it up right in front of his eyes. As the villagers kept on kicking him, one of the attackers pulled out a small knife.

"I say we do the village a favor and finally kill the demon. What do you say boys?" the leader of the gang said as the others saw him and what he planned to do, the others moved out of the way for him. As the guy advanced, Naruto started to feel afraid, especially since the villagers were going farther than they usually did. As he started to black out, he saw the back of one man. He didn't know if he was there to help him or the villagers, but as he blacked out, he hoped that he was one of the few to help...

* * *

Rai was heading over to the orphanage in order to get the few things that Naruto was able to call his own before heading off to the location that the Hokage gave Naruto and to himself. He figured that the only reason the Hokage had given the assignment to him is that he wouldn't kill Naruto. Hate him because of his pranks, yes; kill him, no. As he headed towards the apartment, he heard screaming coming from the alley. Fearing the worst, he did a _Shushin no jutsu_ and saw that Naruto was fading in and out of consciousness before falling completely into the black world.

Seeing the slash on the boy's stomach as Naruto blacked out, he went into full ANBU mode as he turned to face the mob in front of him. "Which one of you started this?" he asked, his hands starting to glow with chakra. The one holding the knife gladly said that he started the attack and he expected a reward for his 'heroic' deed for the village.

"The only reward you will get is either death or a session with Ibiki. Pray for a quick death," was all that Rai said before getting in one of the Kinomoto stances for readiness, the left arm and leg out a little farther than the right, which was planted to the ground with his weight more on the right leg.

"It is true then, the leftovers of the Kinomoto clan have befriended the demon, oh how the mighty have fallen," one of the villagers said. Before he could even breathe again, all four limbs went limp, as Rai just appeared where he was standing just moments ago, a smirk on his face as the man fell to the ground, still conscious and still very much alive.

* * *

While this was going on in the outside world, Naruto was starting to wake up in something akin to a sewer. Noticing a small light at the end of the tunnel, he started walking towards it. Once he got towards the lighted part of his "sewer", he saw a gate that had the word seal in the middle of it.

As Naruto headed towards the opening gate, a face stared back at him. In shock, he lost his balance and fell backwards. At this, the person who was behind the gate started laughing, the voice having a feminine tone to it. When Naruto got back up, he saw the female in full view.

Having long red hair that flowed down to her back, she looked like she was twenty-five and was about five feet eight inches. Nestled on top of her hair were two red fox ears with peach fuzz on the inside of each, as her yellow eyes stared right at Naruto. She also had the same whiskers that adorned Naruto's face as well. She was wearing a normal red shirt with outlines of fire going down vertically on the sleeves of the shirt. She was also wearing a set of ninja pants, colored black and a set of ninja sandals, each having a kunai within the shoes. Nine fox tails were slowly swaying around her as they either seemed to dance through the air or were content to wrap around her figure in a gently manner.

_Who are you, and where are we? More importantly, am I dead?_ Naruto asked as the female just giggled softly. It was not stinging or sarcastic like others, but gentle, more like Sakura-chan's laugh.

**My name is Hosaki and we're in the inside of your mind, or more important, the seal that's on your stomach and you aren't dead, but very close to it. Your friend's brother is protecting you as we speak, but right now let's just say that I'm the reason you always heal quickly. I'm also the reason you need that ability. **Hosaki said as Naruto's face went through several emotions before settling on curiosity.

_Hosaki-chan, don't blame yourself for my problems. Besides, anyone who gave me trouble became a victim of my pranks as I assume you've saw._ Naruto said, while Hosaki just stood there in shock. She had terrorized Konoha for personal reasons and sealed within Naruto because of it and to him it was nothing. She didn't know if she should laugh or cry at the situation. _**She would have loved him as a brother…**_she thought to herself coming back to Naruto.

**But, I'm the reason you have all these problems Naru-kun. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be an orphan or have to…** she started to say but silenced as Naruto hugged her. As he did this, thoughts of adopting him went through her head and she would think on that for later. After a few minutes went by, Naruto took his hands off of her neck.

_Saki-chan, that may be true, but then again, it might not be true; at least I think so. One thing I do know though, and that is I wouldn't have you as a friend. _Naruto said as a small grin worked its way onto his face, and soon after, Hosaki mirrored that grin with one of her own.

**I don't deserve your kindness Naru-kun…not after what I did to Konohagakure, but thank you.**

_What are friends for?_ He asked before he started to fade. _Saki-chan, what's going on?!_ Naruto asked in a panicked voice before Hosaki started to explain what was going on, hoping to calm the boy down.

**The person who came to help you must have taken you to the hospital and made sure you healed there with the help of some doctors. This doctor or team of doctors is/are trying to wake you up from your coma-like sleep.**

_A coma?_

**Let's see, how can I explain it? It's where you're still breathing, but you aren't moving. It's like a long sleep and most people get worried if someone slips into one.**

_Oh. Alright then, I think I understand…_Naruto started to speak before he started to fade in and out quicker than before. Realizing that his time was short, Naruto made sure to ask one question that he needed to be answered. _Will I be able to see you again?_

**Yes Naru-kun, you'll be able to see me when you're asleep, or if you're unconscious, like today. **Hosaki said as Naruto finally faded out and went back into his world. Sighing to herself quietly as she focused on some of her thoughts, one thought came up in particular. That one thought was, _**I wonder what he'll think if he ever learns that I'm the Kyuubi no Yoko… **_However, she quickly shook those thoughts away thinking that Naruto wouldn't mind to much, as Naruto woke up to see Rai, Sakura and the Hokage.

* * *

"I'm just glad I didn't have to take on the 'Copy-Cat' Jounin, otherwise I'd have to show the true colors of my feathers, and maybe get lucky and get a 'Raikiri' off on him…Naruto!" Rai said before noticing Naruto was awake. Sakura instantly went towards her friend and hugged him gently.

"Naruto, are you alright?!" She asked with fear etched on her face. The reason she was there and not at home was because she heard the rumors about a group of villagers finally getting rid of the demon. Hearing those, she instantly ran towards the Hokage's tower and told him what she heard. When the Hokage checked on Naruto with his Tōmegane no Jutsu (Telescope Jutsu aka his crystal ball), he saw Rai standing protectively over an unconscious Naruto and a group of either dead or unconscious civilians and some shinobi behind him. He saw Rai pick Naruto up and head towards the hospital. Grabbing his hat, he motioned for Sakura to follow him.

Rai and the Hokage chuckled at Sakura's actions, thus breaking her out of her frantic mode of worrying and she started bringing out her cards. Searching through the set of cards that she used as a medium for one of her Shikigami that could help heal him, but before she could find one, the wound started closing by itself.

"Naruto, I've made the decision to revoke the right for you to live by yourself, especially after what happened today. However, I am placing you under Rai's care, if that's alright with you." The Hokage said as he looked towards Naruto. Naruto didn't have to be asked twice, immediately taking the offer up and with that, the life of Uzumaki Naruto begins.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 

Dragon and Sword Master: Wow…where did the time go? I start this chapter at the beginning of Spring Break with the prodding and interests of Black Saint and now it's done in the wee morning hours before the end of it. Where did the time go with that?

Phoenix and Staff Master: And didn't you have other plans for that week?

Dragon and Sword Master: I did, but this is a much better way to waste time, don't you think?

Phoenix and Staff Master: Do you hear me complaining?

Rai: Nope. Anyways, am I the first OC of the souls to be in a story?

Dragon and Sword Master: I think so. Anyways, if you read the chapter, please hit that little button down below marked Review. You don't have to, but I would like to hear thoughts of what people think of my story: the good, bad or ugly. Flames will be used to power up Katon techniques, but creative criticism will be taken into account for the next chapter.

NOTES:

1) Asakura Eisuke is the seiryu of Teuchi and I thought it would be cool to put that up as the owner's last name.

2) In addition, for those who think that Naruto is going to be all powerful; that won't be the case. He might be a little more powerful than in the anime, but not an omnipotent being.

3) Konoha no Go-Ruden Senkō. Yes, I know it should be Konoha no Kīroi Senkō (Konoha's Yellow Flash), but I have a plan for this and what Naruto has hidden within him besides the Kyuubi. The fact that it's a golden energy is a hint and a family bloodline limit for Arashi and his family. In addition, yellow and gold are technically the same…

4) In addition, Darkfayt brought this up and I want to make it clear that the Sakura I have in this story will act more like a kinder Haruno Sakura, but she will still have the cards, it just uses her chakra instead of magic for her to use it.

5) The Arashi/Minato debate is settled. I will continue using Arashi for this fic, but any other Naruto stories I do in the future, if I decide to do one, will have his official name, Namikaze Minato. In this story however, he will remain Kazama Arashi.

Translations:

I am only going to translate stuff that I have in my story that is new to the Naruto universe. I will not be translating things that the people who know the world of Naruto, or should be known. However, those who are unfamiliar with Card Captor Sakura, I will translate those. Thus said, the translations for episode one of Son of a Kitsune, code name: SoaK is the following:

Hosaki: Flame tips  
Rai: Thunder  
Konoha no Go-Ruden Senkō: Leaf's Golden Flash


	2. Academy, School or Prison?

Dragon and Sword Master: The next installment of Son of a Kitsune, hereby known as SoaK is upon us

Dragon and Sword Master: I am extremely sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Several things came up to distract me from writing and for that, I am sorry. Some of them were optional, and some of them were mandatory, and a little bit of it was being grounded. However, with this semester of college ending, I will **hopefully** be able to write more. It depends on my hours at work

"**Blah" Hosaki/Kyuubi talking**

"_Blah" Naruto talking to Hosaki_

Blah Jutsu/technique

The Academy: Naruto's School or Prison?

"Alright Naruto, we're done with Taijutsu for today." Rai said before handing Naruto a bottle of water. Naruto took to training like a fish took to water. Anything that he taught the boy was easily soaked up by the blonde, although unknown to him, his friend was also helping as well during the night.

Looking at the blonde in front of him, he knew that Naruto had come far from what he was just one year ago when he was knocking on Heaven's door. He was still mad at some of the so-called medic-nin, but he quickly shook the thought away, the past was in the past, dismal as it may be.

"Alright Naruto, break's over." Rai said as Naruto lightly groaned. Rai would not teach him any Raiton until he got the last of the three skills down to where he just had to do one hand seal to use them and he still couldn't do Bunshin no Jutsu.

"Come on Aniki, there has to be a trick to the Bunshin no Jutsu! It's already been one year!" Naruto said, hoping to get his sensei to teach him a new jutsu other than the three that the Academy first taught.

"You're giving up? That doesn't sound like you at all Naruto." Rai said as Naruto looked at him. "Although…maybe it is impossible for you to do Bunshin no Jutsu as of now…but that's why I'm going to help train you in controlling your chakra." Rai said with a grin before Naruto paled. Anytime that Rai grinned, it meant something bad was going to happen to Naruto. "Do you remember the leaf training exercise Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, where you place a leaf on to the top of your head and make it stick there with chakra. I did that already, you know that."

"True…but today we're going to take it up a notch. Now before you get impatient, hear me out. You've done it with leaves on your body, but how about small stones?" Rai asked as Naruto tried it with a pebble but found it more difficult to do so than with the leaves.

"You're noticing it's difficult? That's because the stones are heavier than leaves, so it needs more chakra to keep it sticking." Rai said before looking over to see Sakura doing the same exercise as Naruto. However, she was doing it for a different reason, trying to raise her own chakra levels by tiring herself out.

Sakura was starting to have trouble breathing and it showed through her concentration as some of the rocks were starting to flux between her fingers. She kept going on, pushing herself to break through the limits that she had.

"Sakura, that's enough!" Rai said as he noticed that Sakura was starting to have the symptoms of chakra exhaustion, but he saw that she was ignoring him. _Sometimes she can be a real pain_ he thought to himself before using a shushin no jutsu (body flicker) to appear next to her. "Sakura!" he shouted in a demanding tone, hoping that was all he needed to do to break her concentration, but alas, it wasn't. Before he could do anything else, she fainted. As she fainted, Naruto stopped and went to her side.

Sighing as he witnessed the scene, he thought, _this is the third time in the past few months_ "Naruto, take Sakura to her room and then you can do whatever you want. Just remember, you start the Academy tomorrow." Rai said as Naruto nodded. _At least he still cares for her…_he thought to himself before seeing a hawk fly across the sky. Using the shushin no jutsu he quickly went out of existence as he headed towards the Hokage's tower.

_Why does she always do this?_ Naruto thought to himself as he carried the young girl up the stairs and into her room.

**She's training just as hard as you are…**

_Yeah, but…why is she doing it?_

**There are many reasons she could be doing it, but that is something not even I could tell you. Now then, you said you were going to show me something, right? **Hosaki asked as Naruto mentally nodded to his tenet. After making sure that Sakura was under the covers and sleeping peacefully, he left her room.

Quickly noticing a hasty scrawled letter from Rai saying that he had a mission in Sunagakure and if he needed to go out, to use the Henge no jutsu (transformation) he showed him before.

Heading back outside, Naruto checked around before quickly transforming. When the smoke cleared, Naruto appeared differently. He was now wearing a placid white shirt with the symbol of a crescent moon on the left sleeve and the back having the symbol of a moon and star interlinked and within a perfect circle. This was the Kinomoto clan's symbol. The shirt was covered by a light blue vest that had foxfire lining up and down the insides of the vest and while the inside of the vest had the Uzumaki swirl on it, the outside of the vest had the Kinomoto's crest on it, allowing the swirl design of the Uzumaki Clan to go unnoticed. His once blonde and unruly hair was changed to a short, light brown color. He was wearing a pair of darker blue pants, heading down to where each leg ended right before the black boots he wore started. The pants had several pockets for holding scrolls and other ninja material and a small set of pockets for kunai and shuriken.

**I thought Rai gave you a sword with that. Kiba no Ookami **(Wolf's Fang)**, right?**

_He did, but I don't need it right now. _Naruto thought, to which Hosaki just sighed. She hoped he listened to when Rai told him never to leave his guard down. _Now then, all we need is a male to test it._

**Test what?**

_Watch and you'll see Saki-chan. _Naruto thought to her before cutting the link off before leaving the house as well, attentions of going to his job and running a few errands for his boss. He didn't mind being a delivery boy for the old man and his daughter, especially since they gave him free food whenever he came in, so it was all good.

"Ah Na…Syaoran, good timing, I was just about to call you," Teuchi said, glad to see Naruto still alive for at least another day. "Someone from the Uchiha clan wanted a set of medium-rare steak and a chicken salad. If you don't mind…" he started to say but before he could finish, Naruto already grabbed the packaged food and headed off to that area. He shook his head in an amused fashion as the boy went off into the distance.

While the Uchiha clan might be the pride of Konoha for being the village's personal police protection, not every Uchiha in the police force was honest and a few of them still held a grudge for the Hyuuga clan, and the heir of the Hyuuga clan just happened to be lost within their complex.

_Next time we go shopping when it's not as crowded_ Hinata thought to herself as she looked throughout the complex for her younger sister. "She has to be here somewhere…," the girl thought aloud as she spotted an Uchiha up in the distance. Quickly hiding in an alleyway, she hoped that person didn't see her. Her father told her how some of the Uchiha's had an intense hatred for the Hyuuga clan. Most weren't on the police force, but there were others…

Luck wasn't on her side as an Uchiha stepped out of one of the houses and came closer to the area where Hinata was standing, who was holding her breath.

"I know you're out there. If you come out now, I'll only charge you with trespassing," he said as Hinata only inched further into the darkness, hoping that she could blend into it. However, this was not to be the case as the Uchiha came closer to Hinata's position.

Seeing the pale eyes, he immediately growled and picked a kunai out of its resting place, but before he could do anything, she screamed in panic.

Hearing a scream come from an alleyway a little further down the path, Naruto listened for something else, but when nothing did, he decided to check it out. If he didn't, his conscience would bother him. Putting the order down so it wouldn't become a problem, Naruto headed into darkened dead-end and even though it was dark, he could make out a male heading towards a defenseless female. Quickly using a shushin, Naruto appeared in between the two.

Before the Uchiha could sneeze, Naruto had punched the man away from Hinata and then went after him before Hinata could even ask his name. The Uchiha quickly did a few hand seals before using Katon: **Gokakyu no Jutsu**** (Fire style: Great Fireball Technique)** but the mysterious protector just grinned before using **Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Substitution Technique) and a burnt log was in the place where the warrior was just a few minutes before. Looking around quickly, the Uchiha paled as he heard a voice above him.

"So…you like picking on girls do you? Take this, Oiruke no jutsu! (Sexy Technique)," Naruto shouted as he transformed into a buxom babe with red length hair that was up in a ponytail. This ponytail went down to rest comfortably on the lower half of her back and smoke was covering her more feminine parts as the Uchiha flew back from the blood that shot out of his nose. Dispelling the Oiruke, Naruto went after the Uchiha, and skidded just a kunai brushed past him. Twisting at the hips to dodge the blade, the boy grabbed it and using his momentum from the dodge turned around and tossed the kunai back at the man. The kunai sailed through the air and pierced the man's hand, making it stick to the wall.

"Damn you!" The Uchiha yelled out in pain, trying to reach and pull the kunai out of his hand, however, the man could not reach the offending weapon and just clung their desperately trying to do something in order to get it out as the boy came closer to him. "Stay away!" he yelled in fear.

"I will, on one condition. If you ever see her in this area again, you do not harm her. If I hear you have or paid someone to do so; I will find you and I will kill you," he said coldly, as Rai instructed him before. Seeing that the man nodded, he decided to be a little merciful and found the food that he was suppose to deliver and gave it to the man. "I'm not letting you down, but if you can eat with one hand, this food is for you. Hopefully someone will come around" Naruto said as he went back towards the girl only to see her unconscious with a red tint on her cheeks. Chuckling at how cute she looked like that, Naruto picked her up.

_Now all I need to do is find out where she lives…_

**Why not just take her home with us?**

_Wh…what?! I can't do that. Sakura-chan would kill me!_

**But if you tell her first, she'll understand.**

_If you say so…_Naruto thought as he picked up the girl and positioned her on his back before heading to Ichiraku, and then back home.

Sakura woke up and noticed that she was in her room and in her bed. _I must have passed out again…am I always going to be a burden to Naru-kun?_ She asked herself before shaking the thought out of her head. Getting out of the bed, she took a shower before heading downstairs and noticed the note. Picking it up, she noticed a small arrow on the bottom of the note. Flipping it over, she noticed that Rai included a PS for Sakura.

_When you wake up, don't do anymore training._

A look of annoyance crossed her face as she read that. She knew that training right now would not be beneficial for her health. A growl emanated from her stomach as the girl blushed. Looking through the kitchen to find something to eat, Sakura just found enough ingredients for a peanut-butter sandwich before she heard someone outside the front door.

Getting up slowly, she picked up a pan and eased herself to the front door, just in case, but put it down once seeing who it was. It was Naruto, and for some reason, he was having trouble unlocking the door. Sakura put her makeshift weapon down and unlocked the door for him, and saw why Naruto was having trouble with the door. On his back was one Hyuuga Hinata passed out with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry Sakura-chan, she was in trouble and I couldn't take her to her house because then my cover would be blown..."

Sighing as she looked at the duo, she only shook her head at what she saw. "I assume you want her to spend the night then?" She asked as he nodded, not knowing what Sakura would do. Sighing again, Sakura told Naruto to put Hinata in her room for the time being. Thanking her for understanding, Naruto head up the stairs carefully, making sure that Hinata didn't wake up. As he put the covers around the girl, Hinata snuggled in pleasure of being warm. Naruto chuckled lightly at that. Closing the door as softly as possible, the boy went back downstairs.

"You know, you can release the jutsu now," Sakura said as Naruto looked at her sheepishly and undid the henge. After he did so, Sakura looked at him for a second before telling him that he should get some sleep himself. If Hinata woke up before morning came, she would come and get him. Naruto nodded and headed up the stairs. Sakura went back to the front door and locked it, picking up the pan and returning it back to the kitchen before also going up the stairs and into her bedroom. _Hm…now, where am I going to sleep? _Sakura thought to herself before remembering that she had a spare blanket in her closet.

Before she fell asleep, Sakura's mind fluttered throughout everything that happened during the day, before sighing and going to sleep. Tomorrow would be hectic was the last thought that crossed her mind before she drifted off.

Hinata woke up warm and content; however, she did not know where she was, and that thought concerned her. Looking around her surroundings, she noticed a small alarm clock with chakra powering it and making it light up with a touch of a button. Pushing the button in, Hinata watched the alarm clock emit a low amount of light, enough for her to make out the time of 03:00. _It's three o'clock in the morning?! Father must be worried and annoyed…_she thought to herself as she sighed. _Well, the least I can do is thank whoever saved me last night when he wakes up…_Hinata thought to herself, finally realizing that there was someone else in the room as well. Wondering who it was, she turned the clock on the stand to illuminate the person sleeping on the floor. _It's Sakura-chan…_she thought to herself before pushing the button again, deactivating the chakra that was stored into the clock. As she settled back into the bed that was given to her, all Hinata could think about was her rescuer and as sleep reclaimed her, questions were still trying to invade her mind.

Hearing the alarm clock ringing, Sakura moved her arm to the left as usual in order to turn the annoying thing off. However, all she hit was the floor. Grumbling as she got off the floor, she went to the offending object to see Hinata also looking for the offending object. "On the other side Hinata," Sakura said as Hinata turned it off and looked at Sakura.

"Sakura, why am I in your room?"

"I'll answer your question if you answer mine first. What do you remember last?"

"Someone coming to save me from an Uchiha member who hates the Hyuuga's, other than that, I don't remember."

"Alright then," Sakura started, sighing before continuing, "We both know that Naruto is hated for some reason or another and as such, he uses a henge whenever he goes out. In his henge form, his name is Syaoran. He came in last night with you passed out on his back." Sakura finished as she noticed the blush on Hinata's cheeks.

"He…He did all that, all…all for me?"

"Yeah. How he did it though you'd have to ask him…anyways, we have to get ready for school. You can have the shower first, and I bet you've been in those clothes longer than usual. Sakura said as Hinata nodded and headed to the shower. A few minutes later, Hinata was dressed in some of Sakura's clothes as Sakura also went to take a shower.

Naruto was awake before the two girls were, remembering that he brought Hinata to his house. Sighing, he took one more look at the cereals that Rai bought with his salary before heading to the fridge and getting out some eggs and bacon. Now while Naruto wasn't the best chef in the world, or in the Kinomoto residence for that matter, Sakura did teach him how to cook when he was living in the orphanage, just in case he was going to live by himself one day.

_Guess all that training with Saku-chan did pay off…just not the way we intended to…_Naruto thought as he heard a slight chuckle from his "imaginary friend," as he got the necessary pans out and got them prepared for his meal. He noticed that Hinata was the one that came down first.

"um…Naru-kun?" Hinata asked shyly, almost wanting to poke her fingers together as usual.

"Yes?"

"Thank you"

"It was no problem…"

"Hinata. Hyuuga Hinata"

"Thanks. Anyways, as I was saying, it was no problem Hinata. Besides, they tended to give me the most beatings when I was out of that orphanage, so I know they can be annoying idiots…" he started saying as he heard Hinata laugh. Checking over the eggs and bacon, he started to scramble them, adding pepper into the eggs as he kept an eye on them. Once it was done, he turned the burners off and got two plates, and as he gave Hinata her own plate, Sakura came down dressed as well and got her own plate of eggs and bacon.

"Guess my lessons paid off in the end."

"Yeah, yeah" Naruto responded in an offhand manner as he gathered his things for the first day of school. Sakura did the same, but Hinata was unlucky, seeing as her schoolbag was at the Hyuuga Complex. Seeing her downcast look, Naruto cheered her up by saying, "Maybe we can explain what happened last night to the teacher, maybe he or she will understand."

As the three of them headed out, Naruto used the Henge no jutsu and soon after, Syaoran was standing in Naruto's place.

Um…Y-You really don't have to do that Naruto-kun…"

"I know, but Rai says it's for my own good, for now at least. When I get out of the Academy and become a real shinobi, I don't have to use it if I don't want to. Now let's get going. I for one would not want to deal with Aniki because we were late on the first day of school…" Naruto said as he headed off with the two girls following him shortly thereafter.

….

As the three headed into the school grounds, they heard the bell just started to ring. As everyone started filing into the building, Naruto stood back for a few seconds and undid his henge. Heading inside, the doors closed around the boy as he quickly found his class and slid into a seat next to Sakura just to hear the introduction of their senseis.

"Hello everyone, I am Umino Iruka and this is my assistant, Ikasama (Trickery) Mizuki. I would like to welcome you all to the first day of school, and…the start of your life..." Iruka said.

END OF CHAPTER

Dragon and Sword Master: Stick with me for a little longer. I promise that the action will start coming in the next chapter, I promise. Hm…I actually like this better than the first one and I got some interaction with Hinata and Naruto…not entirely planned that but the fingers did the walking…that and listening to Wanderlust by Nightwish. Good song by a former good band…of course the singer sucks now but that is my opinion.

NOTES

I know the Byakugan can see through the Henge no Jutsu and the like, but Hinata was scared and I don't think she would have used it so quickly when she was panicking, as she was, which is why she didn't know about Syaoran being Naruto until she was told.

This is not, I repeat, NOT a crossover with Card Captor Sakura. I am just taking Sakura and a few other characters and placing them in Naruto's universe. No cards will be released into the wild, no battle with Eriol, etc. However, Sakura does have the cards, and she might get the ability to summon Cerberus.


	3. Hosaki is the Kyuubi!

Dragon and Sword Master: I'm sorry for the time skips, but I promise the one in this chapter will be the last one, I promise

Rai: Now let's get on with the chapter!

Dragon and Sword Master: That was my line!

Phoenix and Staff Master: We would also like to thank the many people who added my brother's story to their favorite story/story alert lists. Normally my brother gives people a thank you response, but due to being at Animazement, he cannot respond to the vast amount of people separately. Therefore, the fellow readers are to be thanked here and now.

For Favorite Stories: Garv, Naruto-exile, and Shinku Ryuuga,

For Story Alerts: Argoroth, Darksnider05 (Bastard!), NekoCrisis, nimjaj25, Pokannicknow, vampire1268 (wow…the Belmont clan have slacked off…), and Wirespeed91

Rai: In addition, Uchiha Gabrella is property of Lord of the land of fire in his story, A Mother's Love and he has given me permission to use her. I highly suggest you read that story because it is kick ass!

Dragon and Sword Master: On another note, I'd like to take a few minutes to thank FireSamurai for helping me with my personal and hectic life and allowing me to bounce ideas off him for this story.

"**blah"** Hosaki/Kyuubi talking

"_blah" Naruto talking to Hosaki/card talking_

Hosaki is the Kyuubi?!

Four years quickly passed for the two friends and among that time, each of them made separate friends, as their own bond of friendship grew stronger. However, people saw this as something more than what it was and rumors spread about the two being more than just friends. Then again, when you hang out a lot and are in the same house…

While Sakura was training with her cards and other stuff with Rai's friend Yukito, Rai took it upon himself to make sure he was physically active and part of the top three of the class. Hosaki also helped in this way, imparting her vast amount of knowledge to the boy via the link the two had established. However, this did not come without a price as the times when Naruto came to the seal within his stomach meant that he got little to no sleep, but then again, nothing in life was free. However, no matter what Rai did to threaten the boy, Naruto kept his prankster abilities in prime condition. Although Naruto usually went to bed bruised and tired, Rai actually thought some of his pranks were ingenious, and the fact that almost no one was able to catch him…it made him somewhat proud and somewhat sad at the same time. However, what Naruto just did could not be seen as humorous, especially if he just painted all faces on the Hokage Monument. The sad thing was that no one caught him in the act and the sun was out and shining.

_Jeez…if Naruto is able to do this in broad daylight, I wonder what would happen at night?_ Rai thought to himself as he headed after Naruto, hoping that he could get to him before Iruka, the Chunin teacher who somehow was always able to find and capture Naruto most of the time after pulling a more serious prank. _What's the score again, 200 to 199 with him winning? _Rai thought to himself before he and other shinobi raced after the blonde Academy student.

* * *

Naruto was having the time of his life, even though he was currently running away from Chunin and other ranked shinobi. He knew what he did was wrong, but he liked the fact that he was able to do it without anyone noticing him until he finished, which is why he was currently running.

"Ha! None of you could do that, can you? I can since I'm the greatest!" Naruto shouted at the trailing shinobi. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, he kept looking back to make sure that his pursuers were having a hard time keeping up with him. However, it seemed to be that Naruto's famous lucky streak was about to take a small leave of absence as he jumped to the next rooftop, bumping into a girl just a bit older than he was. "I'm sorry." He said before helping the girl up.

"It's no problem…" She started to say, but waited for him to tell her his name.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said, before he cast his eyes downward, probably because now that she knew his name, she wouldn't want to be anywhere near him. However, the unpredictable shinobi was surprised when she repeated her statement and added his name to it. Grinning, he asked the young beauty what her name was.

"My name is Gabrella, Uchiha Gabrella, and it's a pleasure to meet you Naruto-san," she said before he noticed the others catching up to him.

"Well Gabrella-chan, I hate to end our meeting so soon, but I have to run," he said before starting to dash across the rooftops once more. Giggling slightly at the scene, she went back to what she was doing, still wondering why her Sharingan had yet activated itself…but she would worry about that later as she saw the yellow-haired boy run off into the distance. She sighed as she stopped her own training, since her father wanted to see her for something.

Jumping down from the rooftops to the ground, he noticed that his pursuers gained quite some ground on him. Noticing that he was near a fence, he pulled out a cloak and hid under it, also activating the seal that created the illusion that he kept going past the fence. _I may not be able to use Bunshin, but this cloak has the seal to create it…_he thought to himself as he grinned before taking it down and grinning, success at not getting caught. _That girl seemed nice…I hope her clan doesn't make trouble for her because of me…_Naruto thought before someone grabbed him by the hem of his jacket.

* * *

"Hello Naruto, out for a stroll?" Rai asked, as he looked straight into the eyes of the unofficial king of pranksters. Naruto gulped before slowly wondering how to get out of this situation. What Naruto didn't see was that behind Rai's mask, said person was grinning because it was now tied at 200 a piece. Iruka then showed up before looking at the scene and scowling, coming to the same conclusion, Rai and Iruka were tied with the little game that they had.

"I am sorry that you had to do this yet again Rai-san. I'll take over from here," a young Chunin with a battle scar running across the bridge of his nose spoke up. This young man was Umino Iruka, Chunin of Konoha and the Academy teacher of Naruto's class. Turning to look at Naruto, he looked with a small pang of disappointment towards Naruto. "Today is the last day before the exams Naruto, and yet…you willingly choose to participate in this juvenile activity. Listen here Naruto, I'm not trying to be harsh or anything, and while you've grown in the last few years Naruto, that doesn't mean you automatically pass."

**He's right you know. Even you need to take tomorrow seriously, especially since you know I'm not going to help you with the test, just like any others.**

_I still don't like learning these facts, nor do I see the point of them…_Naruto thought to his friend as he also listened to Iruka's speech, nodding every few seconds. Seeing that Rai had used shushin no jutsu to leave the area and return to the Hokage Tower.

"Now then, let's go back to class…" Iruka said as he and Naruto disappeared out of the area.

* * *

Overall, Kinomoto Sakura was bored. Sighing quietly at Naruto's absence, Sakura quietly brought out a book that she was currently reading when Iruka didn't show up, the assignment written on the board already completed. Therefore, when the door opened and Iruka walked in with a tied up Naruto, Sakura sat up intrigued. Not often was it that Iruka brought in Naruto like that…he must have done something extremely stupid to warrant this humiliation. _I wonder what he did…_so caught up in her thoughts she almost didn't hear Iruka's instructions.

"We're going to have a review test for the Henge no jutsu! Those who already passed will have to line up as well!" Iruka shouted, making some people look at him if he grew another head. As the class lined up, several people shot Naruto a dirty look as they lined up. Several people came and went, before it was Sakura's turn.

"Kinomoto Sakura going, Henge!" Receiving a nod from Iruka at the perfect activation of the jutsu, Sakura dispelled it and grinned. She cringed inwardly before looking over towards the Uchiha. She didn't like him per say, but it was easier to pretend that she did, especially since she was able to stay close with her childhood friend, Yamanaka Ino. She was just glad that Naruto knew it was just an act, because Sasuke and Naruto were rivals, even though it was one-sided.

She waited to see what Naruto would do, because every time he was caught, he would get revenge somehow before being punished again and this time would be no exception and as Naruto's full name was called, the boy started walking up there, hiding an evil grin that only spoke one thing, mischief was about to happen.

* * *

Hinata sighed after she came back to her place in line. She was worried that she would screw up the jutsu, but she was glad when she didn't. Looking over to Sakura, she remembered the fact of what happened before. Sighing quietly to herself, she looked up in interest as she saw Naruto head up to the front of the class. "Good luck, Naruto-kun…," she whispered to herself, knowing quite well that he could take care of himself, especially after that event four years ago. Speaking of those events, when her cousin was not on a mission, Hinata asked Neji for training or a spar. Usually it was a spar, but Neji used some advanced Hyuuga jutsus among some of the own he created over the years.

After reading Naruto's body language, she silently activated her bloodline limit and waited, she noticed that Naruto was putting too much chakra into the jutsu, Hinata looked onwards towards Naruto just before hearing the boy say, "Henge," and a beautiful red-haired female was standing in Naruto's place. However, since Hinata activated her Byakugan, she could see what no one else did, what was underneath the smoke. Unfortunately, this sight caused the young Hyuuga heiress to faint from the blood that quickly rushed to her face.

* * *

"What do you think of my original technique, Sensei? I call it the Oiruke no jutsu (Sexy Technique)," Naruto said as he watched Iruka fall back and quickly move his nose up so as to not lose any more blood as he quickly grabbed a tissue and ripped it up, jabbing the two pieces up into his nose. After that was done and Naruto released the jutsu, Iruka yelled at the boy for creating such a stupid skill, but Naruto just laughed. Iruka sighed, as he knew it wasn't going to end well for him, but he didn't think that Naruto would do something that perverse.

Sighing again, Iruka ended class early, just as all the other teachers did today. This way, each teacher could work on the written portion of the exam, and making sure that none of the other classes would impose on one another. However, for Iruka, that would take even longer since he had to deal with one of his students first.

"Naruto, stay here for a moment." Iruka said before Naruto could head out the door with the few friends he had. Cringing at what he knew was going to happen, Naruto waved good-bye to the friends he made over the years. "See you guys later!" was all that Naruto said with a brave face before they left, turning to see Iruka looking at him in a disapproving way.

"You and I have much to talk about Naruto…" Iruka said before Naruto paled at the information…

* * *

Even though Sakura knew about the Oiruke no jutsu, she still didn't like the fact that she helped create the technique, but she could see the benefits of it. _That idiot, I can't believe he did that in class!_ Sakura thought to herself as she was heading down the street with the rest of her friends, barely hearing the conversations that were going on.

"Sakura, are you all right?" Ino asked as she waved a hand in front of her friend's face. Sakura scowled and batted the hand away from her face, telling Ino that she was fine, just a little distracted.

"Distracted by your Naru-kun?" Ino asked with a grin and smirk as Sakura blushed before she quickly denied Ino's claims. "Then why are you blushing?" The blonde girl asked as Sakura replied that they were just friends and dared Ino to challenge that claim, which Ino wisely didn't. Seeing Hinata, Ino and her other friends headed quickly for their respective homes, Sakura chuckled lightly at the situation, especially since she noticed the glares coming from Hinata.

_Who knew she liked Naruto that bad…_she thought to herself as she headed home, ignoring the whispers and glares by the villagers. It was stupid really, especially when Rai would only tell her that she couldn't know why Naruto, and to some extent, herself, were hated by most of the villagers. They knew not to do anything unless they wanted a painful visit through either the Maze and Illusion cards or a meeting with an annoyed Rai. Therefore, the idiots of the village just settled on glaring at the girl.

_I wonder what Naruto is doing right now…_Sakura thought to herself as she let her feet take her towards wherever they guided her. Looking up a few moments, she noticed that she was in front of the Hokage monument, and saw two specks on top of it. Assuming that was Iruka and Naruto, she started the climb up towards the monument.

* * *

Naruto sneezed and cursed as another small amount of water went over his nose. Ever since Iruka brought him here, the teacher was making sure that Naruto was completing his punishment. Hosaki was also angry with the blonde-haired boy. If he was going to do a prank, then he should be able to get away with it. Making sure not to take over too much chakra, she used her youki (demon energy) to manipulate some of his chakra to weight.

As Naruto was wiping the sweat off his brow, he noticed his limbs were a little heavier. Trying to see what was happening, he noticed Hosaki was oddly quiet. Sighing, he quickly went back to work, not wanting to be scolded by Iruka once again. _I wish Sakura-chan were here…_he thought to himself, before looking up once again, seeing two mops of brown hair. "Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I…I honestly don't know." Sakura said as Naruto chuckled at her response, but soon stopped as Sakura got a smirk on her face. "Sensei, you don't mind if I help Naruto stay cool do you?" she asked before Iruka said that he didn't care, having a gut feeling that he was going to get wet if he refused. Taking out a card quickly, she channeled chakra into it as the card disappeared, and in its place was a small cloud, a little girl standing on top of it. "Rain, Naruto looks a little dry, I think he needs a little shower…" she said while grinning as the cloud went from where Sakura was and headed towards Naruto. A few seconds later, the sound of raindrops fell through the air before hearing a loud yell coming from the boy.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted at the sudden shower. Looking up to see Sakura and Iruka chuckling lightly at the scene, he saw the cloud faintly before it changed back into its former card.

"If you don't mind, can I wait here until Naruto finishes up?" Iruka didn't mind a bit and told the girl as such. Sitting down, they both watched as Naruto worked on cleaning up his mess.

Iruka rested on the tree overlooking as he heard the small talk between Sakura and Naruto. _She really has been a good influence on Naruto…_he thought to himself as he got an idea. Getting up, he looked over the edge and looked at what Naruto was doing. Seeing that he was almost done, he grinned. "Hey Naruto?"

"What?"

"Once you finish up, I'll take you and Sakura out for a bowl of ramen. How does that—" Iruka didn't get to finish as Naruto was quickly by his side, sprouting off something about ramen. Sakura giggled at his antics before agreeing with their sensei. As the three headed down, Iruka smiled fondly at the two beside him. _If only…_he thought to himself before mentally shaking his head. The past was in the past…better to leave it there.

* * *

Three unusual travelers were approaching the Ichiraku Ramen Bar as Teuchi and Ayame were settling down. Even though the supposed "demon brat" came and ate there, the place still made good ramen and as such, was still a good place for many citizens to eat…as long as Naruto wasn't around. Naruto was about to use the Henge when Sakura shook her head.

Iruka saw this going on, but didn't say anything about it. Besides, what happens between friends outside of class was not his business, especially with students that were soon to be graduating. As the three of them headed inside, the active and free atmosphere at the bar became tense as several people left their ramen and some money on the table. In the hurry to get out, they did not care about their change. Iruka noticed this and silently sighed to himself. After they each ordered a bowl of ramen, Iruka turned to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, why? Why did you vandalize such a place? Do you realize what that place is? It's a place of where great men are recognized, the four Hokage of this village."

Naruto turned towards Iruka and nodded, getting serious. "I know who they are Iruka-sensei. Those faces represent the Hokage that have protected Konoha and are known throughout this land as the best shinobi of their time. If I become Hokage myself…then…then people would have to stop putting me down, at least that's how I see it," he said as their ramen came. The three of them ate in silence and as they finished, Naruto asked Iruka one more question. "Sensei?"

"Yeah Naruto?"

Turning to the left in order to face his sensei, he clasped his hands in a pleading fashion, "can I wear your Konoha Hitai-ate (Forehead Protector)? Please?"

"This?" He asked as he pointed to the headband that he wore. "Sorry, but I can't do that. This is proof that you graduated from the Academy and have become a real ninja. I'm sure you'll get yours tomorrow Naruto-kun, you as well Sakura-chan." Iruka said before laughing at Naruto pouting and turning away from him. Iruka got his wallet out but Teuchi waved him off, saying that they got enough money from the customers who left because Naruto came in.

Chuckling lightly, Iruka put away his wallet and the three got up and left the establishment, Iruka heading to his apartment to get the paperwork ready for exams and Naruto and Sakura to go home and sleep for them.

* * *

Letting the two of them in, Naruto took off his shoes as Sakura did the same. Yawning, Naruto told Sakura to head upstairs and that he would lock up. Nodding, Sakura did exactly that as she headed towards her room, Naruto following suit after he locked the door behind him. Yawning, he too made it up the stairs before opening the door to his room and fell on his stomach, quickly falling asleep.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed that he was in a meadow. Hosaki looked at him with a look of amusement on her face as he looked up to see her. **Those were good pranks Naru-kun, unfortunately, you were caught…a crime in Kitsune standards, which was why you were punished.** She said as Naruto nodded. **Now then, time for a final review…since you know I will not help you on the test.**

_Flashback_

The first time that Naruto willingly went into his mindscape, he noticed that Hosaki was behind a cage and that the place was like a sewer. Heading towards the center of the place, he noticed that the smell was starting to get worse and worse.

Crinkling his nose, as he got closer to the cage, he wondered if there was a way to change this and hearing a chuckle come from beyond the cage, Hosaki came up to the bars. **We are in your mind, so it should be easy for you to change it…she said as he looked on curiously.**

_How?_

**Just think it and it will happen, or at least I think that will work...**

_Alright…_he said as he closed his eyes, envisioning something that wasn't anything like a sewer. When he opened his eyes, he was staring at a lush green meadow, but yet, the cage doors were still in place and he noticed Hosaki starting silently tearing up as she was being tortured by the scenery in front of him. Screwing his eyes shut again, he thought hard about one thing and one thing only: letting the fox woman inside the bars outside of them, but still stuck to him via the seal that was placed on his stomach. Opening his eyes once again, he saw the cage was gone, but there was something new about her now.

While she was still wearing the same clothes that she did when he first met her, she now had three pieces of jewelry on her body. The first one on her left wrist was a bracelet that fitted to her body perfectly, but gave it enough room for it slide up or down the arm, but it could only be removed by Naruto. The bracelet had several lapis lazuli embedded into it, forming the kanji for water. Another bracelet was set on her right wrist, a set of jade gemstones set into it, marking out the symbol for wind. The last new piece of jewelry was a necklace. In the middle of the jewelry was a piece of topaz. The necklace had three spikes placed in a pattern of 45 degrees, 90 degrees and then another spike at another 45 degrees.

**Now then, I've looked through your memories, and I found that no one really taught you properly, except for that dolphin, your current teacher. If you let me, I can create a classroom and teach you the basics that you taught yourself and had Rai help you when he could. What do you think Naru-kun?**

_I would like that…Hosaki-sensei._

_End Flashback_

**Anymore questions Naru-kun?** Hosaki asked, as she looked at Naruto, seeing him nod in the negative, she created a bed for the boy and let him lie down on it. Soon, his eyes closed and he was in dreamland. _**I wonder what he's dreaming about…**_the fox demoness thought to herself, before she headed to dreamland herself. Tomorrow would be an interesting day…

* * *

Hearing his alarm clock start ringing, he tried desperately to find the off button. However, after a few seconds of not finding the small button, he smashed the top of the clock with a flat palm and finally the clock stopped making its annoying noise. Mumbling to himself about how he'd outlaw alarm clocks when he became Hokage, Naruto sighed as he got out of bed and he went to his dresser to grab a few clothes as he made towards the shower.

Noticing that it was free, he grinned. Usually, Sakura woke up earlier than him and used almost all of the hot water. Naruto went into the shower and turned the water on, quietly humming a song. Using as little water as possible, Naruto quickly cleaned himself up, toweled off and got dressed in a white shirt with black shinobi pants. He finished it off with an orange vest.

Heading downstairs, he heard movement coming from Sakura's bedroom. Finishing his breakfast, Naruto waited for Sakura to come down as well. Wearing a normal set of clothes, a pair of jeans with a phoenix motif on the back of the pockets, and a red/pink plain shirt, she preferred to wear a set of shinobi style boots whereas Naruto had sandals on. As they both left the house, butterflies were going through Naruto and Sakura's stomachs. As they headed past the Yamanaka's Flower Shop, Ino walked out the door in her usual attire, which contained of a purple skirt with a matching top. Noticing the boy, Ino smirked. "Hey there Sakura, Naruto," she said before heading over to Naruto and gave him a small hug.

Glaring at the blonde girl, Sakura thought about using one of her cards, but she thought better of it. Ino only did this because she knew it annoyed her. After the usual hug, Ino decided to do something a little different. Usually she just walked with them afterwards, but today, Ino gave him a kiss on the cheek, for good luck she said. Sakura's glare intensified and she could only hope that she'd get to spar her. Power and Fight in for a work out…

After a few minutes, the trio arrived at the front grounds of the school, Sakura still glaring at Ino for the stunt that she pulled. Trying to calm her down, Naruto followed suit, heading into the building behind the two girls. A few minutes later, Iruka entered the classroom with a packet of papers in his hand; Mizuki was behind him, carrying a simple clipboard.

After several seconds of trying to get the students attention, Iruka sighed before doing a few hand seals and activated his special genjutsu, causing a small amount of killer intent to show itself in the form of a "demon head," which caused the students quiet immediately. Coughing to get the students' attention, he started to speak. "Over the past four years, you have all grown in leaps and bounds from the first day that you entered. The Graduation Exam will have three parts. The first part, which I am about to distribute, is a paper test consisting of several questions and you will have one hour to complete them. Any unanswered questions will be considered incorrect and marked as such. After that, Mizuki here will take you outside for sparring and the both of us will finish in here with the three jutsus that we have shown you throughout the year. If you have a variant of any of these three techniques, you may do them if you so choose." Iruka then started handing out the tests, making sure that everyone in the class received a paper. "Now then, you all have one hour to complete this exam. I wish you all the best of luck, begin."

Naruto turned the paper around, looked at each of the questions before taking a pencil, and started the test. The questions were hard for a normal student unless he or she studied, but Naruto was far from a normal student and was able to get past several of the questions. Raising an eyebrow at one of the questions, he passed it before going on to finish the questions. Once he finished the test, he went back to the one question he passed. "How did the Yondaime Hokage kill the Kyuubi no Yoko?"

_Hm…Saki-chan said that it was hard to kill a demon, but she told me that the Yondaime…_he thought to himself, before shrugging and putting down the answer, "The Yondaime Hokage defeated the Kyuubi no Yoko by summoning the boss toad Gamabunta and used the Shiki Fuin." Once that was done, he turned his paper over and looked at the time. Seeing that he still had time to kill, he put his hands on his desk and his head down on them, wishing that he paid heed to Saki-chan's advice.

After the hour was up, Iruka notified the class as such, and followed the children outside to where Mizuki was standing, waiting for the children. Once Mizuki notified that they were all there, Iruka went back inside to start grading the written portion of the test.

"Now that we have tested your minds, it is time to test your body. A good mind is a great tool to have, but without a good body to protect it…" Mizuki stated before letting it hang. "Now then, it will be boys versus boys and girls versus the girls. Now then, since there is an odd amount of girls, there will be three girls doing a free for all. Now then, when I call your names, the two of you will step forward and the rest of you will step back and give them room as normal. I will be the referee and I will stop after either 30 seconds are up or someone becomes unconscious. Since this is only a spar, there will be no killing. Other than that, you may use whatever is at your arsenal.

Time passed as the girls from the class each came and passed, all except for three girls. "Alright then, Kinomoto Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and Hyuuga Hinata," at this the three girls grinned. Hinata wanted to hurt her rival for her Naruto-kun and Sakura wanted to get some revenge on Ino for the stunt that she pulled.

Before anyone could attack, Sakura quickly pushed chakra into the deck that was by her side, activating the two cards that she wanted instantly. While it was harder for her to do it this way, it also made it so they weren't destroyed by a kunai or shuriken. However, while she was activating them, Hinata got a strike to one of her arms, making her loose concentration. As such, the cards that she was trying to activate weren't going to have as much power in them. However, The Fight and The Power cards were still active, and as such, Sakura started to move quickly. _I can't use more than two right now and my body can't take this pressure too long_ Sakura thought to herself as she weaved away from Hinata's palm strike and ducked under a kick. Right now, Sakura's greatest weakness was her speed, and both Ino and Hinata were using that to their advantage. However, due to the Fight's experience, Sakura still had no damage. _It's going to be risky…_she thought to herself before jumping back and getting some distance between the two. Creating a set of bushin, Sakura and the clones rushed towards the two combatants, but right before the trio could attack, Mizuki ended the match due to the time being up. However, the ending stance showed that Sakura would have attacked Ino with a reverse punch, and combined with the Power, the guess of how strong the kunoichi was unknown. However, Hinata's palm was millimeters away from Sakura's stomach. Ino, on the other hand, had three kunai towards the base of Hinata's neck. Therefore, Mizuki determined the match as a draw.

After the boys sparred, Mizuki watched on, making notes on his clipboard after each sparring match. _I hate to say it but the demon whore is good…at least with her cards. I wonder what she's like without them,_ he thought to himself as he remembered the draw that the three had. Noticing that the spar was done, he called the last two remaining names.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, it is your turn. After this, we will head back inside and take a small break. Now then, begin!" He said as he jumped back as Sasuke ran forward towards the blonde male. Naruto dodged it and threw a kunai, tied to ninja wire. Dodging out of the way, Sasuke didn't expect the wire from the idiot and tripped on it as he was running towards Naruto. The fore-mentioned blonde pulled back on the wire, but Sasuke saw it and jumped over it, running into a punch. Stumbling back, Sasuke barely had time to duck under a kick, but before Naruto could bring the leg down, Sasuke was able to whip his leg out and kick the leg that was supporting most of Naruto's weight. With his balance disrupted, Naruto used the **Kawarimi no Jutsu** (Body Replacement Technique) and reappeared on top of a tree, a dead branch was in the place where he would have been. Throwing a shuriken at his opponent, he then jumped down and pushed off the tree, landing directly on his feet.

Sasuke jumped over the shuriken and started creating hand seals for the **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)** however, he wasn't able to finish it as he got a fist in the face. Falling back, Sasuke hastily got up and threw a kunai on the advancing Naruto. Naruto swatted the kunai with a kunai of his own and threw it back, and then threw his own, making it arc upwards. Sasuke jumped over the first kunai, however he didn't see the second one coming until it was mere seconds away from hitting him. Hastily using Kawarimi, Sasuke replaced himself with a log and he was glad he did so. If he hadn't, that kunai would have hurt…badly. When the log fell to the ground, the kunai hit the log at the exact place that Sasuke's genital area was.

"Alright, time!" Mizuki stated as the two got out of their stances. "Winner, Sasuke!"

"What?!" Naruto shouted out as Mizuki explained.

"Naruto, before we started, I explicitly said no killing blows. The kunai that you last used would have killed Sasuke if he didn't use Kawarimi and as such, you are disqualified and will be getting low marks. I pray you do well in the jutsu portion Naruto, you'll need it," Mizuki said before he led them all back inside to where Iruka was waiting.

"Now that we have both separately tested your mind and body, we will now both test your skills. In the next room are your Shinobi Protors and after we see your skill in the Kawarimi no Jutsu, the Henge no Jutsu, and the Bunshin no Jutsu, you will receive one if you pass. If you do not, you can either wait until next year or take another full exam at the end of the school year." Iruka said as Mizuki nodded and continued. "Now then, we will each call you in by name and at that time you will come into the adjacent room. If satisfactory, you will pass your exam and graduate. If not, then we will see you next year."

* * *

"Uzumaki Naruto," Mizuki said, hating every syllable of the name as he kept the door open for the demon brat. Once he was inside, he moved away from the door as it slowly swung shut by itself. As Mizuki walked behind Naruto to his place in front of the room, Naruto stood there.

"You may begin whenever you are ready Naruto," Iruka said as both teachers waited and watched the young man. He gathered chakra before doing the first jutsu, perfectly assuming the image of Iruka. Iruka grinned at that and soon after, Naruto let go of the Henge no Jutsu. "Iruka-sensei, Mizuki-sensei, do you think it's possible to throw a kunai or shuriken at me so I can use the Kawarimi no Jutsu?"

"I'm sorry Naruto-san, but we can't endanger the students. You will have to do it without the danger incentive." Iruka said as Naruto nodded, before focusing on his chakra. Soon after, Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke as he appeared where the desk was, and the desk was where he was. Grinning a little, the teachers only sighed. Prankster Uzumaki Naruto struck again.

_I'm glad we didn't throw a kunai or shuriken_ Iruka thought to himself as he waited for Naruto to complete the exam by doing the Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique) and as Naruto gathered chakra, he saw that he was expelling too much chakra for the jutsu. Once saying the jutsu, smoke appeared and a clone appeared. However, this clone was barely alive and pale, just about ready to pass out.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but with only two out of the three jutsus, I cannot pass you. Failing this, and the physical portion of the test, I cannot pass you for the year. I'm sorry Naruto…"

"Wait a second Iruka-san. He did pass the written portion; in addition, he did create a clone after all…"

"I'm sorry Mizuki-san, if Naruto passed both tests before and still failed at creating the Bunshin no Jutsu, then maybe. However, he didn't and thus I can't pass him." Iruka said as Naruto ran out of the classrooms, tears starting to spill.

_Naruto-kun_

_Naru-kun_

Iruka sighed as he and his partner came out of the classroom with one hitai-ate still in his hand. It was suppose to be for Naruto. Sighing, he addressed the class. "Everyone, I am glad to say that you are now at the beginning of your Shinobi and Kunoichi careers. In two weeks time, I want you back here again so I can give you your squad members and Jonin leader. Once again, congratulations. You're all dismissed," he said, happy and yet at the same time, sad. Heading back to his office, he placed the hiati-ate in his desk and sighed. Gathering his things, he headed outside.

* * *

Walking towards Naruto, Mizuki held in a grin. His plan would go off without a hitch and maybe he would even get a reward for killing the demon spawn. Once getting towards the downtrodden kid, Mizuki had to suppress the urge to attack him now. "Naruto," was all that Mizuki said as Naruto looked up towards his sensei.

"What is it?" Naruto asked as he looked towards Mizuki.

"Iruka doesn't mean to be like that Naruto; he just worries about you, which is why he is so hard on you. Follow me for a second, I have something cool to tell you, but I can't tell you out here in the open such as this."

"Alright," Naruto said as he noticed Sakura and Rai talking with the others. Noticing the lonely face of Naruto, she excused herself from the group and went over to Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, don't worry. I'm sure there's something you can do in order to get out of going next semester and graduating with us." Sakura said to which Naruto grinned.

"Anyways, I'm going to be late coming home tonight. Can you tell Rai-sensei for me, please Saku-chan?" Naruto asked, almost sounding begging. Sakura couldn't help but giggle as she promised to tell Rai for him.

"Alright then, now that that's taken care of, let's go," Mizuki said as Naruto got off the swing and walked off with Mizuki. Naruto didn't know it, but phase one was a success and now it was onto phase two. Heading off to a set of rooftops, Mizuki started telling Naruto about a special way of graduating.

"You see, there's a secret compartment that houses all of the Hokage's scrolls, however, you need to pull on a certain book to make it seen. What happens next is that this book should open up a compartment near the Hokage's desk. You have to push the button within thirty seconds to deactivate the security otherwise ANBU will come." Mizuki started saying before Naruto interrupted him with a question.

"How do you know this Mizuki-sensei?"

"Hokage-sama has shown me a few times myself just in case someone needed something important from his library of scrolls. He also showed Iruka and ANBU members as well."

"Ah," Naruto said, listening on to what his teacher had to say. When Mizuki finished, it was starting to get dark. "I think I can do it sensei. Just to make sure, all I have to do is retrieve the scroll and learn one jutsu from the Scroll of Sealing, correct?"

"Correct."

"Alright," Naruto said as he headed back towards his home via the rooftops. When the boy was out of hearing range, Mizuki grinned evilly. _Now all I have to do is wait…_he thought to himself, getting ready to lie to his comrade.

* * *

Naruto opened the door, telling the occupants that he was home. Rai told Naruto not to make a big deal out of it and told him that even a few ANBU members barely passed the Graduation Exam. Grinning at everything that was going on around him, Naruto yawned and said that he was going to bed. Rai nodded and wished him a good night.

"Are you sure he's going to be alright Aniki?" Sakura asked as Rai just nodded. He had a feeling that things were going to get interesting soon. Before heading upstairs, he told Sakura not to forget that Naruto is the most unpredictable shinobi.

Sighing, she headed towards the door and locked it before heading upstairs. Naruto was on her thoughts, as she got ready for bed. She wished that she could help him, but the only way she could do that was to be on the reserve list. Sighing once again, she got into bed.

* * *

Naruto woke up and quietly made his way out of the house through his window. He knew Hosaki thought this was a trap, and while she might be right, any chance in trying to graduate was a chance that Naruto was willing to take.

Remembering what Mizuki told him, he silently and quickly made his way over to the Hokage Tower and entered it, making sure not to trigger any alarms. Heading to the door of the Hokage's office, he noticed a small layer of chakra on the door. Sighing, he quickly noticed a nearby window. Getting an idea, he ran towards the window and upon breaking it, quickly grabbed the ledge and channeled chakra to his feet. Jumping sideways, he was just able to catch the lower banister and swing himself up. Stopping to make sure that his actions caused no alarms to start going off, and when he heard no alarms or sensed anything going on inside, he quietly slid the door open slowly, and went inside.

Doing exactly what Mizuki said, a panel on the wall slid off and Naruto saw several files and scrolls within the library. _This is what Mizuki-sensei was talking about…_Naruto said as he made his way into the archive. Seeing the scroll that he wanted, Naruto grabbed it and started to head out the same way he came in.

As he was making his way to the window, Naruto saw that the Hokage was just starting to wake up, as he accidentally knocked a glass of water off his desk. Thinking quickly, Naruto did the hand seal for his Oiruke no Jutsu and as Sarutobi opened his eyes and yawning, and Naruto tensed as he saw Sarutobi awaken. However, when he went back to sleep, Naruto sighed with relief and dispelled the jutsu, taking off with the scroll and heading towards the forest hut. When he got there, he quickly opened the scroll and started reading over it, Hosaki told him to look over it first and then practice one of the jutsus on the scroll. When asked why, Hosaki said it was a secret as she too was looking at the scroll.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," (Shadow Clone Technique) Naruto read aloud as he groaned. His worse skill was the Bunshin no Jutsu and now the first jutsu was an advanced version of it. Sighing, he put the scroll down and stepped away from it before starting on the jutsu. However, while Naruto was working on the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Hosaki was looking at an interesting jutsu that dealt with fire, lots and lots of fire.

* * *

Mizuki was grinning and running towards his partner's apartment. The reason a smile was on his face was simple, he was going to kill two birds with one stone. Right before knocking on Iruka's door, he composed himself in order to look panicked. After knocking on his door for several minutes, Iruka opened the door, asking, "What is it?" in an annoyed voice, seeing as he was woken up by the constant knocking.

"Come with me, quickly! Naruto made off with the Scroll of Sealing," Mizuki said as Iruka gasped. He knew that the boy was a prankster, but to do something like this was unforgivable, even for his unofficial son. When Iruka and Mizuki got to the Hokage's mansion, several Jonin were standing in front of the Hokage, yelling about how they couldn't let what happened to just slide by as a prank. They were also worried that if it were taken outside the village, anything could happen. Telling the shinobi that were in the courtyard to find and bring Naruto back **alive**, he sent them out in order to find the young man.

* * *

Rai and Sakura were woken up by a tap on Rai's window and as the bird continued tapping. Rai quickly got up and opened the window, letting the bird inside. Taking the note off the bird, he quickly read the note and growled. "Naruto…you've gone to far this time." He said before he opened his bedroom door and saw Sakura standing in front of him, a look of worry on her face.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now, I need to get going. Go back to sleep." He said as he was getting his ANBU gear on. Sakura sighed quickly as her brother went downstairs and unlocked the door, going through it himself. Sighing, he quickly made it towards the Hokage Tower.

Sakura noticed the piece of crumbled paper on the ground. Picking it up, she undid what her brother did and read the words as well. _What the?! Naru-chan couldn't have…_she thought to herself before thinking of what to do. Heading back to her room, she swiped the top card off her deck. Grinning when she found out it was the card she wanted, she quickly channeled chakra into it and soon a woman with green hair appeared before her.

_What do you require Mistress?_

"I need your help Windy-chan…Naruto has gotten himself in trouble, and I need to find him" She started to say as she was interrupted by a laugh from her summoned creature.

_I will do my best Mistress_ she said as she disappeared into wisps of wind, moving out of the window and looking for Naruto. While Windy was out searching for Naruto, Sakura went over to her dresser and looked through them, finding a pair of jeans and a red shirt. Taking off her pajamas and quickly put on the clothes. Soon after, the wind started picking up.

"Did you find him?"

_I did. Do you want me to lead you there?_

"Please," was all that she said as Windy went outside and waited for Sakura to come out the door. Once she did so, Windy appeared next to her and showed her the way. Quickly following the summoned elemental, she ran pass several people on her way to the forested area. _I'm glad I decided to get boots instead of sandals…_ she thought to herself as she ran.

Minutes later, Sakura started seeing signs that someone was training, hard. Coming closer to the scene, she saw that Naruto was practicing on something. Trees in the area had some of the bark burned off and some areas collapsed into themselves creating small craters. In the center of it all, was Naruto.

She wanted to yell and make herself known to her friend; she also realized how hard he was working on what seemed to be a jutsu. Dispelling Windy, she watched Naruto keep trying to complete it. She noticed the growing frustration on him.

* * *

Hosaki noticed Sakura as soon as she entered the area, but chose to stay silent. The fox woman saw that Naruto almost had the Kage Bunshin down and didn't want to interrupt him. When he finally got it, he grinned and pumped the air. Naruto didn't know it, but with that, he also moved the air around him.

_**Interesting…**_Hosaki thought, as she made sure to keep an eye out on that for in the future. **Naruto, Sakura is in the area and since you finished…**she said, leaving off for Naruto to determine what she meant. Blushing quickly, he headed towards his friend.

"Hey Sakura-chan," he started to say before he held his head in pain. "What was that for?!"

"You baka! Do you realize what you've done?" Sakura shouted as Naruto rubbed the newly forming bump on the top of his head. Seeing that he didn't realize the damage of what he had done, just sighed. "Anyways, what are you doing?"

"I'm working on a jutsu," was all that Naruto said as she groaned at the vagueness.

* * *

Iruka was worried, especially after hearing from Mizuki what happened. Heading out quickly, he went a different route then the others. First heading towards Teuchi, he asked the ramen bar owner if he saw Naruto. Showing Iruka the way that he went, Iruka thanked the man and ran off in the direction he pointed.

_Come on, where are you Naruto…_ Iruka thought to himself as he headed through the village. Coming to the forest, he noticed some footprints in the ground. _These are Sakura-chan's…I don't like the looks of this_ he thought to himself as he followed her footprints to the clearing where they were, Naruto was just showing her how to do it since he knew she had small reserves. _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, how is he doing it?_ Iruka thought to himself before heading over to the two.

"Naruto, Sakura! What are you two doing here?!" He shouted as Naruto stopped in his tracks and Sakura let out a surprised sound. Grinning, Naruto quickly turned to Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei, I can pass now, right?"

Raising an eyebrow, he looked at Naruto curiously. "What do you mean Naruto? You have to wait until next semester." Iruka said but Naruto was still grinning.

"Mizuki told me that if I learned a jutsu from this scroll I could pass," Naruto said as Iruka realized what he meant and as realization met his face, Iruka heard something in the distance.

"Get back!" He said as he pushed both Naruto and Sakura to the side, having both of them narrowly miss several kunai, some that pierced Iruka's skin. Holding back his pain, he quickly saw Mizuki's face. Taking out the kunai that was in his arm, Iruka threw them back towards the traitor.

Growling, Mizuki was annoyed at both Iruka and Sakura. They weren't supposed to be here. Sighing, he knew he would have to leave no witnesses. "I'm almost surprised about the both of you finding this place so quickly. Then again, since you found this place, I can't allow you to leave this place alive."

"Is that so? You'd have to kill me first, and that's before you even try taking out Naruto or Sakura, and I doubt you can kill me," Iruka said before quickly doing some hand seals before realizing that there was no water around. "Sakura, do you have enough chakra to summon an elemental?" He shouted as Sakura shook her head in the negative.

"Sorry sensei…I already used Windy to find Naruto." She said while Iruka mentally groaned before remembering something.

"Sakura, do you have enough chakra to use Rain?" Iruka asked before Sakura nodded and quickly summoned the rain sprite. As rain fell from its cloud, Iruka quickly did hand seals again. Soon after, the water formed to his hand and started lengthening until it gained the length of a whip. Striking Mizuki with it, he quickly had it wrap around the ex-teacher. However, before Iruka could do anything more, Mizuki disappeared and a log took his place. Pulling the Mizu no Muchi (Whip of Water) back, Iruka heard Mizuki once again in the distance.

"Naruto, hand over the scroll and I'll let your demon whore head back to her brother in one piece."

"Don't listen to him Naruto! Mizuki tricked you into stealing the scroll!" Iruka shouted as Naruto just stood there, not understanding what was going on, just listening. Seeing his confusion, Iruka told Naruto that it held forbidden techniques.

Mizuki appeared behind Iruka and tried to kill him, but Iruka sidestepped the thrust. "Don't believe anything this traitor says. You can't trust him, especially since he knows everything, especially why you're hated by everyone."

"What?!" both Naruto and Sakura asked in surprise.

"No, Mizuki, stop!" Iruka shouted but Mizuki just ignored him.

"You remember in your textbook that the Kyuubi no Yoko was destroyed by the Fourth Hokage; that is just a lie to make people in your generation think they have nothing to worry about, but that's not true," he started to say as he dodged a strike from Iruka's water whip.

"You can't! That information is secret; no one can tell him that!"

"Tell me what?" Naruto asked in curiosity, something that he would soon regret.

"The Fourth didn't kill the Kyuubi but rather he sealed it in a newborn child. You want to know who that child is Naruto?"

"Who?"

"It's you. You are the Kyuubi no Yoko in human form! It's why everyone despises you, including Iruka, Sakura and Rai." Mizuki said, as Naruto looked on terrified. "Now then, die, Kyuubi scum!" he shouted as he threw a fumma shuriken at Naruto.

"Naruto, duck!" Iruka said, but he wasn't listening. He was in shock from the information that was just given to him. After all these years with his after-class sensei during his dreams, she never told him that she was the Kyuubi no Yoko. Iruka scrambled to get in front of Naruto and was just able to stand in front of him, and turned his back to the blade.

"Iruka-sensei…but why?"

"It's because you were once the same as me. After my parents died…no one ever complimented or recognized me. I became a bad student and screwed up so much, not caring that they were laughing at me, because when they were laughing…they were recognizing me. Since I couldn't get anyone's attention when I was a good student, I acted like an idiot. You knew what that was like, right Naruto?" Iruka asked Naruto as tears started running down his face. "Gomen Naruto-kun for not being able to help you as much as Sakura-chan and Rai-kun, but I'll do my best to make it up to you now…" Iruka said as he protected Naruto from other attacks. "Run, both of you. I'll take care of Ikasama." Iruka said as both nodded.

Laughing, Iruka turned back towards the traitor. "What do you find so funny teme?"

"He's not running from the village, he's running towards it and with that scroll on his back, I wonder what kind of destruction he'll cause…" Mizuki said before sidestepping a thrown kunai before being smacked with the water whip. Dissolving the whip due to it draining his reserves, Iruka ducked under a kunai.

* * *

After running for a while, Naruto stopped abruptly before falling over due to Sakura bumping into him. Getting up, he looked back at Sakura. "Why are you still here Sakura-chan? Didn't you hear what Mizuki-sensei said? I'm a monster…" he started to say before he was slapped by Sakura, then she hugged him.

"I don't care about that Naru-chan. If you were a monster, Rai and I would have already noticed. Do you remember how we became friends in the first place? You were sitting by yourself when you noticed several kids stealing my cards. You could have just stayed there and watched, but you didn't. You got them back for me, even scared the children away. If that's what a monster is, then I'd rather be a monster than human, especially after the way the villagers treat you," Sakura said as he kept her grip around the boy's neck.

"Thanks Sakura-chan…I…I needed that," Naruto said, grinning. "Now then, let's go help Iruka-sensei." He would ask Hosaki about everything later, when everything wasn't out of control and his anger in check.

"Right!" she replied as the both of them headed back to the battle.

* * *

"You don't get it, do you Iruka? Naruto is the fox in human form. He'll take his revenge on the village if left unchecked!" He said and before Iruka could respond, he groaned in pain and fell down.

…_what…that's right, I forgot I laced my blades with poisons_ Mizuki thought to himself before grinning evilly. "Any last words Iruka?"

"If Naruto was the demon fox, then you're right, he would take his vengeance out on the village. However, he's an excellent shinobi that I recognize as if he was my own son. He's a hardworking, earnest, clumsy person. He's not the demon fox but Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha!" Iruka said finishing his speech as the two just got back to the scene.

Noticing the tears, Sakura looked at Naruto in curiosity. Telling her not to worry, they listened to Mizuki telling Iruka to die and at that time, Naruto acted on instinct and came out of the hiding spot, using a leading knee to smash into Mizuki's face. Sakura came out of the area and went towards Iruka, and asked the man if he had kunai and some tape with him. He replied in a positive, taking out one clean kunai and gave it to Sakura.

* * *

Naruto's knee thrust brought Mizuki away from the two people that Naruto was trying to protect.

As he slid to a stop, Naruto slipped the scroll off his back, and placed it on the ground nearby. "Don't you dare touch Iruka-sensei; I'll kill you if you do!" Naruto said as a small amount of red chakra leaked out of Naruto.

"What can you do demon brat? I'm a Chunin, and you're not even a Genin yet. Tell you what, I'll let you have the first shot…and then I'll return the blow a thousand times over!" Mizuki shouted arrogantly before taking a defensive stance. "Come at me, if you can that is. If you can at least hit me, I'll let the demon whore you call your friend go back to her brother in one piece…maybe."

"Don't you dare threaten Sakura-chan like that! I'll protect them, even if it kills me! Tajū Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" (Mass Shadow Clone Technique) Naruto yelled, as several clones of Naruto showed up, each leaking a small amount of red chakra.

"You said you were going to give us the first shot. Is that true Mizuki-_sensei_?" he asked in a mocking tone as Mizuki stood there in shock. Not only did Naruto just create five hundred clones, but also still able to move, a feat that shouldn't be possible. However, he couldn't apprehend it as Naruto's clones beat Mizuki to a bloody pulp. Once they were done, Iruka grinned.

"Sensei, what are we going to do about him?" Sakura asked, pointing towards the bloody pulp that resembled Mizuki as Naruto dispelled his clones, getting a small headache as well, but he just thought it was because of the battle he had before.

"Tie him up and let the ANBU deal with it," Iruka said as Naruto said something about just leave him there to die. Taking the ninja wire that Iruka gave her, she headed towards Mizuki and tried tying him up. Before she could, Mizuki grinned before grabbing the girl, pulling one remaining kunai from a hidden place in his footwear and put it towards her neck.

"I'll give you a choice. Either you let me go and forget your conflict with me or she dies," Mizuki said but before he could do anything else, a voice cut into the area.

"Hyoutama: Buriza-do!" (Ice Shot: Blizzard!)

"What the hell?" Mizuki asked before feeling a sharp pain in his arm before it started freezing over. Shocked at the sensation in his arm, Sakura scrambled out of Mizuki's gasp, rubbing her neck where she just had the kunai barely touching her skin. Before anyone else can do anything, three more shots came from the distance, each hitting a different limb of the traitor.

* * *

The Hokage was watching and just about to send ANBU to Naruto's location when he heard that voice and grinned before cutting the chakra off his crystal ball, ending the jutsu that allowed him to see what was happening. Taking out a special piece of parchment, he quickly wrote down to stop all activities. The ink disappeared and Sarutobi sighed, knowing that he'd have to talk to Sakura and Naruto tomorrow as soon as possible and with that in mind; he started writing once again. This message was for Rai and Rai alone and it told him to bring Sakura and Naruto with him tomorrow.

"I wish he had a mask as well…" Sarutobi said to himself before sighing, knowing that a large amount of paperwork would be needed after all of this, including the Tokubetsu Jonin that froze Mizuki. "I swear I'm too old for this…," he mumbled before using the Shushin no Jutsu and disappearing from his office.

* * *

A young man walked out from the protection of the trees, seeing a kunai in front of his face. Putting his hands up quickly in defense, he quickly pointed up and the three saw that he had a Konoha Hitai-ate. Not letting their guard down, Naruto took the kunai away from the man's face. "Thank you. I'm not surprised that you act like that, even if I was the one who saved your girlfriend." He said before both Naruto and Sakura blushed.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked.

"I go by many names, but you guys…can call me your friend," he said before disappearing in a poof of smoke, irritating Naruto since the man didn't answer his question.

Sighing, Iruka was about to grab the traitor now that his limbs were unable to move, but another poof of smoke caused Iruka to turn around. Seeing white robes, he sighed once again, holding his ribs in pain after doing so.

"Sensei! You shouldn't be moving like so quickly like that!" Sakura shouted as she too saw the Hokage poof into existence. "Hokage-sama, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to make sure everyone is alright…" he said, looking at Naruto and Iruka before both grinned, signifying that they would be alright. Sakura smiled, letting the Hokage know that she was also fine "Now then, Iruka, I thank you for taking care of Mizuki and the students as well. I think that deserves a payment of at least a B-rank mission, maybe A-rank. Sakura and Naruto, you two will be given payment for a C-rank mission, maybe a B-rank mission. ANBU, take the traitor and bring him to Ibiki. He'll understand why it's best not to betray Konoha." The Hokage said as a dog and weasel showed up and the weasel did a few hand seals before raising his mask just a bit and blew fire from his mouth, melting the limbs of the unconscious man.

"Alright then, everyone, it is very late and I'm sure we'll be very busy tomorrow, so let's go home," the Hokage said as most of the people agreed with him.

"Actually Hokage-sama, could I speak to Naruto for a moment?" Iruka asked as Sarutobi nodded. When Sakura went to go as well, Iruka felt like hitting himself but he asked Sakura if he could speak to Naruto alone. Sadly nodding, Sakura turned around and headed back off to where everyone else was. _It's important…besides, you'll see everything when he gets home…_he thought to himself before turning around and seeing Naruto's look.

"That wasn't really nice Sensei."

"I know that I was mean to Sakura-chan, but I wanted to give you something."

"Oh?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow. Iruka told him to close his eyes and Naruto did so. Once he did, Iruka took out the Hitai-ate that was going to be Naruto's in the first place and tied it around his head.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now Naruto," Iruka said as he did so, not feeling any different. Before he could ask, Iruka told him to head to a puddle that was created during the battle. Looking at his reflection, Naruto saw the metal on his Hitai-ate.

"Does this…" he started to ask before Iruka just nodded. Naruto was so happy that he jumped and hugged his teacher, the two of them falling to the ground.

"Careful Naruto," Iruka said before holding back the groan of pain that his ribs took from the glomp that Naruto gave him. Grinning, he only knew that this was the beginning of what was to happen. "We should get going Naruto," was all that Iruka said before the boy agreed.

One thing was for certain, Uzumaki Naruto would not be left behind.

END OF CHAPTER

Dragon and Sword Master: With Naruto now joining the ranks of the Konoha Shinobi, what will happen with the help of Rai, Sakura-chan and Hosaki-chan? Many things will change. And who was that mysterious man who claimed to be Naruto's friend, along with the jutsu that even had the Kyuubi no Yoko interested? All these questions will have answers…eventually.

Phoenix and Staff Master: Must you do that?

Dragon and Sword Master: Of course. Why, does it annoy you?

**NOTES**

1: With Naruto being in an environment where he doesn't have to worry about if people are going to kill him while he's asleep, I would think and hope that his mindscape would be different. Yes, he got rid of the cage; however, that doesn't mean the seal is gone as I said when I loosely described the choker and bracelets that she is now wearing.

2: Yes, I know Arashi's official name is Minato Namikaze, but it sounds odd ever since fandom gave him the name Arashi, in my opinion. I already put Arashi's name in chapter one, so I'm going to keep it Arashi, but Kushina on the other hand…

3: Before you judge me, Hinata will probably not be in the harem. However, she will have an important role in the story as a Guardian. A Guardian of whom you ask? You will have to wait and see.


	4. Friends and Rivals, Same Old Same Old

Dragon and Sword Master: Now I know some people will hate me for saying that Hinata won't be in the harem, but I do have plans for her as I gave a teaser as to what she'll be

Phoenix and Staff Master: So…what plans do you have brother?

Dragon and Sword Master: You're worse than Ino, I swear. I'm not going to tell you anytime soon.

Phoenix and Staff Master: Brother!

Dragon and Sword Master: As a final thought, FireSamurai owns Ark and what he does with him…well let's just say what stays in Vegas stays in Vegas lol. In addition, Gabrella is still owned by her creator.

Shout Outs

Dragon and Phoenix Sword and Staff Masters: We are most likely doing a one-time thing called shout outs, for people that we cannot reach for some reason or another through lack of time or various other things.

Now then, I would like to thank Unamercat for adding this story to her (assuming her through the multitude of Yaoi stories on her site, a stereotypical assumption so I'm sorry if I'm wrong) Story Alert list. In addition, I would like to thank Rhivan for adding this story to his/her favorite story archive.

Chapter 4: Friends and Rivals, Same Old Same Old

A slap echoed through the room as Gabrella's face went towards the side of where she was hit, the force of it making her grimace in pain before quickly putting a hand to where she was hit just moments before.

"Why must you continue to disgrace the Uchiha name Gabrella? Not only have you failed to gain the Sharingan and now this? You're lucky I'm the brother of the Head Family or else they would have thrown you out long ago. I'm thinking of doing the same myself," the man said before glaring at the Chunin in front of him. "Now leave, your presence is starting to disgust me." He said as Gabrella quickly left the room and headed to her own. It was only there that she allowed herself to cry.

A few hours later, she woke up to someone knocking on her door.

"Leave me alone," was her strangled cry as the voice behind the door sighed. "Gab-chan, I'm sorry for my uncle's behavior. I know he is harsh on you because he doesn't see your potential, especially without the Sharingan…" the voice started to say behind the door as Gabrella just sighed and interrupted him.

"Itachi, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but I don't know what to do anymore…I've tried everything to make my Sharingan awaken, but nothing works.

"Keep pushing your limits Gab-chan. Sooner or later you'll achieve your goals," Itachi said as he walked away from the door, not seeing the look or grin that was on Gabrella's face. That vague amount of information was the first time anyone actually gave her any real advice.

* * *

Naruto sighed in happiness as he woke up. After everything that happened last night, Sakura was still willing to be his friend. However, he was a little annoyed at the fact that Hosaki wasn't going to tell him about this until he became a Jounin.

_She does have a point though…guess I can't be too mad at her_ Naruto thought to himself before throwing the blanket off himself and heading towards his dresser where he got some clothes and went to the bathroom. As he went into the shower and turned on the water, he let the drops of controlled rain splatter around him as he thought back to what Hosaki told him before she let him sleep.

_Flashback_

_Were you ever going to tell me about this Hosaki-chan?_ Naruto asked in a rare form of anger at the fox demoness, a look of sadness on her features.

**I was going to tell you once you reached Chunin, maybe Jounin. It's a lot of information that could hurt you…plus there's an old saying that says ignorance is bliss…**

_You were doing it to protect me…but why?_

**I did it to protect you, and I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do. I also thought that you could safely protect yourself when you gained those ranks that I mentioned**

…_I can accept that I guess but…_

**But what Naru-chan?**

_Why me? Why attack and kill so many shinobi and kunoichi? _He asked as he held back his tears. Being constantly attacked for something he didn't know about or responsible for and then having it told to him made Naruto wonder why everything happened.

**I cannot answer the first one since I don't know the answer but…I will tell you about why I attacked on one condition, you must save all your questions until the end, all right?**

_All right._

**Not many people know this, but…I once had a daughter, Kouen (red flame). When I went out to get some food for her and myself, a dog demon thought it wise to attack me. I took care of him soon enough, but he was able to retreat. However, while I was doing this, my daughter was vulnerable. When I got back to our cave, it smelled of snake and Kouen was missing. I was able to track the scent back to Konoha; however, that was where the scent went missing. I was never able to find out who took her, and now I'll probably never see her again since you know what happens when I got to Konohagakure.**

_You were attacked and assumed the shinobi and kunoichi were aiding him_

**Exactly, and that is why I took matters into my own hands and sealed into you. I just wish I could see her again…**

_Knowing my luck, I have a feeling we'll see her eventually._

**I suppose…**

_End Flashback_

Turning off the water and drying off, Naruto slipped into his clothes and slipped on the vest. While he didn't like becoming Syaoran, he liked the clothes that came with it. Getting out of the bathroom, he saw Sakura there, still yawning. As he went downstairs to start breakfast, he heard the water start running, assuming that Sakura was starting to wake up, as the warm water turned to cold halfway through. Finishing her shower quickly, she dried off and stomped down the stairs, glaring at the blonde, but she then noticed the toast, eggs and sausage that he made for both of them and she stopped glaring at him.

"Sorry Saku-chan…"

"Just sit down and be quiet. I'm still not fully awake yet…," she said as she yawned. The cold shower helped, but it would still be a little while before she completely woke up. "Remind me what we're doing up so early again."

"It probably has something to do with last night." Naruto said in between bites as Sakura shrugged, the gesture meaning maybe. Silence consumed them once again as the both of them finished their breakfast. Putting the dishes in the sink, they both left, Sakura locking up while Naruto waited for her. Remembering what happened, the duo walked to the Hokage Tower with silence hovering over them.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked as the boy looked in her direction

"Yeah Sakura?"

"Even though Iruka-sensei was kind enough to give you his hitai-ate, why didn't you get it when you had the chance? Why act like dead last?"

Sighing, he looked at Sakura with sad eyes. "It's because I'm the villager's scapegoat. If people knew of my true capabilities, then it wouldn't be long before someone stronger than me is found and uses me as their punching bag or kills me. Either option would be good for the whole of the village, and while I wouldn't mind showing my true strength, being dead last is actually kinda fun, especially when I can surprise someone with my true strength and besides, I like the idea of living in this world."

_**That makes two of us…**_

Chuckling at what the thought he heard from Hosaki-chan, he noticed how close they were to the tower. "Come on, we're almost there now, I'll race ya!" he said while grinning, not one of his normal grins, but a true grin, something rarely seen on Naruto's face, and that made Sakura happy as she too grinned and raced after Naruto.

* * *

"Are you sure it's a good idea to tell them, especially after what happened last night?" Rai asked as he looked across towards his boss, having his fingers crossed and him looking at his colleague from on top of his platform.

"No, but I think Naruto has the right to know, and since Sakura was with him at the time of being told, she also has the right to said knowledge," the Hokage said before hearing Naruto outside and soon after, Sakura.

"No fair, you had a head start!"

"All's fair in love and war Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied quickly before recomposing himself and grinning before he opened the door for Sakura. She glared at him for a second before grinning. It was hard to stay mad at him for long and as the two walked in, the jovial nature that the two youngsters had quickly stopped and replaced with serious faces, especially when they saw Rai there as well.

"Naruto, if you could please close the door," Sarutobi asked as Naruto complied with the request. After he did so Sarutobi did several hand seals before four marks on the walls, door and ceiling appeared, "Now then, I will first say that we have dealt with the traitorous Ikasama for what he has done. That information was classified as a double S-rank secret punishable by treason and death."

"Pardon me, Hokage-sama, but why was Naruto chosen?" Sakura asked as he silently winced, having to tell a white lie.

"The Yondaime found Naruto nearby and seeing that he was out of time, he had no choice but to seal the Kyuubi no into Naruto. Now then, where was I…oh yes, what Ikasama said, which part of is sadly true. You are the jailor of the Kyuubi no Kitsune but Naruto, whatever people say or do to you, please understand that they do not understand."

"Jiji, why do you keep calling her the Kyuubi no Kitsune? Her title is the Kyuubi no Yoko." Naruto said as the Hokage looked at him in surprise.

"Have you been talking to the Kyuubi?!" Sarutobi asked in shock and was in more shock when Naruto nodded. Before he could say anything more about it, Naruto told him everything that happened until then. "So Hosaki has been helping you?" he asked as the boy just nodded. Sighing and reaching for his pipe, he thought about what to do. "Naruto, as long as you and "Hosaki-chan" are on agreeable terms and she isn't using you, then I don't see any harm in her helping you from time to time. Now then, what we discussed here cannot leave this room, so if you say anything about Hosaki without either my or Naruto's permission, you would be charged with treason, am I understood Sakura, Rai?"

"We understand Hokage-sama," Rai said and at that, Sarutobi allowed the two youngsters to go, reminding them that they still needed their pictures taken and about the team placements a week from then. "Rai, for the sake of that boy, I want you to keep an eye on him…and I want you as a second sensei to whatever team Naruto and Sakura make to keep watch over them."

"I understand, but won't the council be angered at this, you helping Naruto as much as you are?" Rai asked as Sarutobi chuckled. "I have a feeling that Naruto and Sakura's final teammate will be an Uchiha…"

"Ah, I see. Well, I'll keep an eye on them, but I'd rather not dull my blade," was all Rai said before vanishing off into the sunny day, remembering that his new sword was suppose to come in today. He was glad that Naruto and Sakura wouldn't become strangers. Sighing on that, he thought of someone else who could help the blonde before a smile came to his face.

* * *

_Now that that's over with…I have to deal with the council_ Sarutobi thought to himself before sighing as he went towards the conference room. Knowing that this would be a headache in the making, he told his secretary to have a small saucer of sake ready for him when he returned. Heading to the room, he sighed once again as he stood in front of the doors before opening them and heading in. _This is going to be a long day…_

He found the clan heads and several other civilian councilmen and women waiting for him. As he made his way to his seat in the center of the room, he noticed that all eyes were on him, waiting for him to speak.

"Now then, I would like to start with the prospering new group of shinobi and kunoichi that will be joining our ranks," Sarutobi said, interrupted by one of the people who hated Naruto.

"Why is that …" the unnamed council member started to say before Sarutobi glared at the man with a low amount of killing intent, but it was enough to shut the man up.

"First off, his name is Uzumaki Naruto, not demon or any variation of that word. Now then, Naruto saved a future kunoichi as well as exposed a traitor amongst our ranks. He was also able to use a B-rank kinjutsu to aid himself in that endeavor." Sarutobi continued after he dealt with the man.

"Rumors says that the gunslinger helped him…" one female on the council whispered to the person next to her before the door blasted off its hinges and a male appeared at the doorframe of where the door once was.

This man was wearing what looked like a blue jacket, flowing into something akin to a cloak behind him. On the back of his jacket was the image of a dragon imprisoned by several branches. A dark blue shirt was worn underneath the jacket and two side arms were hidden by the jacket/cloak. He was also wearing a pair of dark pants with a belt around them with hollow cylinders everywhere on the belt. On his feet were a pair of standard shinobi boots The last thing, which made him the most dangerous, was that his Konoha hitai-ate was acting as a blindfold, covering both eyes, almost like a certain lazy jounin currently in the room as well. "Why hello there Saru-sama, I'm sorry for intruding on something as important as this, but I heard my name spoken so…"

"You thought it wise to check it out, didn't you Ark-kun?" he asked while looking at the person who accidentally called his name before a hidden smirk crossed his lips. One of the females had a look of shock on her face and only thought of one thing…_how the hell did he hear that?!_

* * *

As the two teens were looking for a photographer to take their pictures, most of them either refused to take Naruto's picture, or charged the two twice the price that it would take for Naruto's picture. Annoyed at this continued idiocy, she left each area before finally stopping at the one place she knew would take both of their pictures for little money or no money at all. It helped that the photographer was also a good civilian friend of Sakura's.

Heading to her simple shop, Sakura pushed Naruto through the entrance before sighing. She knew that most people would consider Tomoyo a crazy romantic, but she knew what she was doing when it came to taking photos.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo shouted before enveloping her friend in a big hug. Looking at the male that was walking through the shop after Sakura pushed him in, Tomoyo giggled at the awkwardness on his face. "Is he Naruto?" Tomoyo asked before Sakura nodded, blushing as Tomoyo cackled in glee.

"Tomoyo-chan, whatever you're planning, please don't do it," Sakura pleaded with the young girl, knowing that she loved playing matchmaker.

"Fine, but you did come at a bad time though. I don't have much film left, enough for one more picture, maybe two. I swear I'm not playing matchmaker here," Tomoyo said as Sakura sighed. Knowing that she didn't have any other choice, Sakura walked over to Naruto and told her what was going on. He frowned for a bit before grinning and asked a question that made Sakura groan. Of course he wanted to pose for the camera…

After taking the picture and waiting for the two copies, the original and a copy of the original, both had Naruto and Sakura back to back, Naruto holding up a kunai as if he was going to twirl it, and Sakura held up a card between her forefinger and middle finger, the back towards the camera. "These are good, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said as Tomoyo blushed in embarrassment and praise. Sakura went to her purse to pay her friend, but Tomoyo said that it was on the house, besides having a picture of her best friend and her crush was enough payment for her. Sakura was glad that the blonde was out of hearing range before turning around and looking at the girl in front of her with a stare on her face and mouthed the words, 'don't you dare tell him.'

Dropping their pictures off at the Tower for the Hokage to look over, the two decided to get some lunch, especially after Sakura's stomach started growling. Naruto wisely decided to keep his mouth shut, a decision that his body would thank him for since it wouldn't have to go through a thorough workout from Sakura when she was using the Fight card.

_She relies on them too much…_he absently thought as he felt his partner silently agree with him. Letting the thought slide for now, Naruto and Sakura headed towards their second favorite place to eat. Once there, Naruto opened the flap for both himself and the brunette before they sat down at the counter and greeted by Teuchi, jokingly calling them his favorite couple. Both blushed at that before quickly denying it, muttering at the old man while he laughed.

"I heard you were able to graduate from the Academy, Naruto, congratulations! Does that mean I need to find a new helper from now on?" Teuchi asked, referring to Naruto's doppelganger Syaoran, who usually delivered some ramen to customers in exchange for free food.

"Probably, but if I find time in-between future missions and any training as a team, I'll gladly help you Teuchi-oji-san." Naruto said, grinning as the ramen owner scowled at that. Handing them their ramen, Naruto and Sakura ate in peace.

"Sakura?"

"What?"

"Can you take out your deck for a second?" He asked in a serious tone, especially since he knew how much she guarded those cards. As she did so, she turned to see Naruto at the door, a small amount of money for the ramen due to his stubbornness. When asked where they were going, all he replied was, "to make you a better rounded kunoichi…"

* * *

"I really wish you would stop doing that Ark. I understand that you hate the council as much as I do, but if you keep barging in there, eventually the council will charge you with some bogus charge, tack on insubordination and treason before exiling you out of Konoha, maybe even Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire)." Pacing around the office as he said this, Ark was waiting for him to sit down.

"True, but my skills are too extraordinary for them to even try something like that, and they can't touch Shimo (Frost) and Nobara (Wild Rose) for examination, unless they want to invoke some of their personal seals," Ark said as the Hokage nodded.

"Anyways, how was your mission?"

"It was surprisingly easy, seeing as they didn't mind getting the 'demon whore' and her 'slut' out of there," he said with venom, almost spitting out the terms that the village used on her and her guardian.

"Wherever they are, they are safe, correct?" Sarutobi asked as Ark just chuckled before starting to laugh. Once he stopped though…

"If nothing else, they are safe. I have a friend keeping an eye on them, someone I trust just as much as I trust my partners," he said, patting his guns as the two continued to talk about the events that occurred after his mission and on his way home.

"If that is the case, I have a personal favor to ask…"

Sighing, Ark took a cigarette from his hip pocket and put it in his mouth before lighting it. "Whenever you say that, that just means more trouble for me…" The young man said before Sarutobi chuckled at his friend's way of saying, "what is it?"

"Well, it goes like this…"

* * *

"Come on Naruto, give me a break here." Sakura shouted as she blocked another punch from her sparring partner. After lunch, Naruto took her to a training ground that wasn't being used and asked if she could spar with him. She agreed before reaching into her deck, but she couldn't place any chakra into them as she jumped over a sweeping kick and then ducked under the punch he threw. She knew he was a brawler, but he usually gave her some time to draw one card or made a mistake, but this time he was constantly attacking and not letting her take a break.

"Come on Naruto, let me get a card out," Sakura yelled as she ducked under another punch, before being tapped with a low wheel kick. This went on for a little longer before Naruto stopped, both having sweat on their foreheads, Naruto more so than Sakura.

"Baka, what was that for? You didn't even give me a chance to attack," Sakura accused as Naruto took his vest off and standing, his clothes starting to stick to him like a second skin.

"That's the point Saku-chan, your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness. You rely on your cards for every battle, but if someone ambushed and attacked you like I just did…," Naruto left hanging, Sakura catching on as to what he was saying.

Glaring at the blonde, she then added that she wasn't a one-dimensional kunoichi before she heard his laughter. Growling at him, she pounced, causing the both of them to lose their balance and fall to the ground, Sakura on top of Naruto. Blushing at the closeness, they both parted from their positions and sat on the ground, looking away from each other with the blush still on their faces. The awkward silence continued before Naruto coughed, dispelling it soon after.

"Sorry…" she said before Naruto shook his head, explaining that it was his fault. He figured that showing her rather than telling her would be a better idea, and for once, he was wrong. "What did you mean though?" she asked as Naruto got up, extending his hand for her to grab. Once she did, Naruto pulled her up as if nothing happened.

"Exactly what I said, you rely on your cards way too much. I have an idea to help though…" Naruto said as he shuddered, not exactly liking what he was about to say. Continuing on, he then told her about a Taijutsu expert that even her brother hated, a man that worked himself to the ground, and then sometimes even worked himself through it at times. The Jounin named Maito Gai…

"If he makes us wear those crazy spandex suits of his, I'm asking Fight and see if she can teach us or at least me," Sakura said as Naruto nodded. A few hours later, the two found the man; however, when they asked if he could train them, he said only on the condition of at least trying one of the despised garment, which caused Sakura to growl, and before she could do anything, Naruto dragged the grumbling girl away before she could do any everlasting damage.

"All right, we did things your way, now we're doing things my way. Make some clones," she commanded as Naruto gulped slightly. She only got like this when she was extremely mad. Naruto did as told, creating five clones as Sakura asked as she summoned the fight card in all of her glory. The humanoid card looked on in curiosity as she looked at her master.

_Mistress, why did you summon me?_

"I…I have a weakness, and only you can help Fight-chan," Sakura said as she looked down at the ground. The card knew what she was feeling, and smiled sadly at her.

_I might be able to help Mistress, but I can guarantee nothing._

"Thanks, but can you do me a favor? Please, just call me Sakura, or Sakura-chan. Mistress makes me sound old." The Fight Card smirked at that, before nodding. Naruto, feeling left out, asked what he could do and when Fight looked at Sakura, she just shrugged and added that he could use some help as well. The girls started laughing when he started grumbling.

**It couldn't hurt, besides, I can always help if you find her style doesn't fit. I'm sure I have something for you…besides that Elurophobia one.**

…_don't remind me_

Sighing as he heard laughter going on in his head, he did not need a reminder of one of his greatest fears and started listening to one of the many cards that made Sakura dangerous as she finished her examination on Sakura.

"I'm sorry, but as you are right now, I cannot train you, nor do I want to waste my time. Don't get me wrong, Mistress, but it would be a waste of my time to train either you or Naruto, I'm sorry…," was all she said as Sakura looked down, saddened at the fact that not even her method would be beneficial. "However, if you two want to start on the path to better yourselves, weights are a good place to start…" the blue-haired female said before disappearing and returning back into her card form. Bending down and picking the card up, Sakura put the card back into her pocket, tears slowly making way to the surface. Blinking them back, she turned to Naruto.

"You know of any good places to get some shinobi supplies?" Sakura asked as Naruto grinned.

"I'm a former street rat, I should know Konoha's maze of streets like the back of my hand. Come on, follow me," he said before leading Sakura to where they were from into the village and after a small walk with many twists and turns, they appeared in front of a small shop. "This isn't the best in Konoha, but the owners treated me fairly when I needed shuriken and kunai, and I'm pretty sure she'll give us a few tips on the uses of weights as well, especially since one of her teammates uses weights as well."

"oh?"

"Tenten Kengeki (weapons), also known as the Weapon Mistress of Konoha, and the co-owner of the store, along with her adopted father," Naruto said as he opened the door, holding it open for Sakura. Once they entered, the girl at the counter became active and watched the duo come closer to the counter.

* * *

"Hey Naruto…Sakura," the girl said, envious about how close she was to Naruto and the relationship she had with the boy. The person that she was trying to help open up was still an arrogant prick at best, a bastard at worst, but she hid it well. Sighing quietly to herself, she smothered her feelings for her friends. "What can I help you two with?" She asked as Naruto told her what he wanted.

"I know about Rock Lee's training regime, and we were both wondering if we could start on weights ourselves." Naruto said, knowing that Sakura would still be mad at the card for a while and didn't want to talk.

"You want to start with some weights?" Tenten asked as Naruto nodded in agreement, as Tenten went into the back of the store to get the requested artifacts. Once she returned with a few pairs, she asked the both of them to test each size to feel if they could handle it and that it wouldn't be to tight to pinch the skin. Finding a pair that they both liked, Tenten showed them how they worked before Naruto paid for them all before adding chakra into them, putting it at the minimum setting, two pounds each, equaling a total of eight pounds of deadweight, as Sakura did the same for her own pair of weights.

"Thanks Ten-chan. We'll see you around if we need anything!" Naruto shouted from the doorway as they both left from the shop. When they got outside, Naruto stopped and asked Sakura if she wanted to know of a good training spot. When she answered yes, the two started walking, noticing the difference and that it was a little bit harder to do with the weights on. Soon after though, the two made an agreement to up the weight to five before standing in front of the Hokage Monument.

"You want us to go up that steep path with weights on? Naruto, I'm not a stamina freak like you are, you know that," Sakura said as Naruto stopped.

"I know that Saku-chan, but at least try to go half-way, please? If you have trouble, you can stop the chakra flow to the weights and just walk up normally, but you should at least try, right?" he asked as Sakura nodded, before putting on a stoic face and asking Naruto to lead, which he did so readily.

Tiring halfway through, Sakura made it another few steps up the steep mountain path before taking some of the chakra away, going down to the lower setting once again. Noticing that they were almost at the top, Sakura wondered what type of secret training ground Naruto found. Speaking of which, how did he find this place? Voicing her thoughts aloud to her blonde partner, Naruto only said that it became a hideout for when he was younger. Sighing, not only at the vagueness but also because of why he had to find it and soon after, they reached the top, where she just stood there and stared as her breath was taken away by the scenery. "Wow…," was all that she could say as Naruto chuckled.

"Welcome to my humble abode before I came to live with you. Not much, but it's pretty good, don't you think?" He asked before she sighed. This was where he was when she didn't see the boy for hours at time, or during his birthday.

"Now then, I'm going to practice with the Kage Bunshin. Saki-chan noticed something last night, but doesn't want to tell me, saying I should figure it out for myself…," he said, to which Sakura nodded.

"Besides, if you rely on her all the time, then what about your own skills?"

"I suppose…but she did give me a hint. 'It's not impossible to look both left and right at the same time,' whatever that means," he said as a clone disappeared, not realizing that the information travelled to his brain, before saying something about how the river was lower than usual, and said as such.

Grinning at that, Sakura told her that was what Hosaki was referring about, and when Naruto asked about what she meant, she asked him how he knew about the river when he wasn't looking at it. Thinking about it for a while, Naruto finally understood.

_So that's what you meant by saying that cryptic clue._

**Of course, besides, I couldn't give you to much of an easy clue, right? **She asked as Naruto gave the equivalent of a mental sigh.

_Now what?_

**That is up to you Naruto. **Hosaki said as both she, Naruto and Sakura lost track of time on the mountain and the training grounds.

* * *

Noticing that Naruto and Sakura were running late, he started growing worried. When the sun started to set, he went to start looking for them. Closing his eyes, he steadied his breathing before becoming invisible to the world, concentrating on the chakra signatures that were in Konoha. Sensing a big source of chakra alongside a smaller and condensed one, he let his breathing return to normal before his body reappeared and he vanished.

What he saw shocked him, and made him glad all in the same motion. He noticed that while Sakura was sleeping, Naruto was kind enough to remove his vest and place it around the girl, as well as lighting a small fire. He also noticed a set of weights by her side and grinned evilly. Naruto bought weights for himself and for Sakura, oh how much fun their senseis would have…

_Not bad kid, not bad at all, _he thought to himself as he watched Naruto use five clones as fighting practice, while another five were working on chakra exercises, balancing either a stone or a leaf on top of the head and other places along the body as well. _He remembered…_he thought to himself before looking at the blonde for a few more minutes.

After Naruto finished and dismissed the clones one by one, Rai noticed that Naruto's large chakra started to grow a little denser, if only just. He would still have trouble doing some low ranked jutsus…

"Naruto, why didn't you send a message or something? You had me worried," Rai said, noticing that the young fox container jumped in surprise at that.

**I tried telling you, but you wouldn't listen,** Hosaki said as Naruto grumbled on about how Rai was able to sneak up on him like that, before looking at the surroundings and saw that his guardian killed the fire and was holding his sister in his hands carefully.

"I hate to say this, but when we get home, you can use your stupid jutsu and undress her," Rai said before tuning out the blonde's rant about how the Oiruke no jutsu was not a stupid technique before they both vanished into the night.

* * *

Yawning, Sakura woke up nice and warm, confused as to how she got into her bed, and changed. Growling, she got up and picked out a few articles of clothing before stomping to the shower. After getting in, she locked the door before turning on the water and letting her thoughts start to wander. A few seconds later, a knock entered her savannah and Sakura sighed before stopping her shower. "Who is it?" she asked as Rai told her that the Hokage wanted to see her and Naruto as soon as possible. "Fine," was all she said before quickly finishing.

Heading downstairs, Sakura saw Naruto already dressed and ready to go, waiting for her. This somewhat seemed ironic, since it was always her waiting on him to wake up. Wondering what was going on, Sakura looked at Naruto, who shrugged, also not knowing what else was going on. As all three members left the house, Naruto and Sakura went towards the Hokage Tower yet again.

"Why do I have a feeling we won't like the outcome of this?" She asked as Naruto shrugged. Seeing the door in the distance, Sakura let an ungraceful smirk adorn her features before running off, leaving a stunned Naruto looking at her for a few moments before yelling and running after her. Soon after, they reached the door to the Hokage's office, and were let in by the elderly man.

"Oji-san, you wanted to see us?" Naruto asked as they saw the Hokage with two profiles, one in each hand. Both of them had one picture on them, theirs.

"These are great pictures you two; retake them."

"What?!" both Naruto and Sakura shouted in confusion.

"Even though these stay in the village, these are important documents, and should be taken seriously," The Hokage said as the door silently slid open as a young boy slipped in. Before anyone else in the room could say anything, the boy yelled, "You old geezer, fight me! The title of Godaime Hokage belongs to me, Sarutobi Konohamaru!" However, as bold as the statement was, Konohamaru tripped over his scarf and face planted soon after.

_Problems just keep showing up today…_the old man thought to himself before sighing as he saw the scene unravel before his eyes. Somewhere across Konoha, a blinded gunslinger sneezed as the thought crossed the old man's mind.

Picking himself up from the floor, the young boy looked around before setting his eyes on the blonde and brunette in the room. Narrowing his eyes, the young boy accused Naruto of tripping him, which Naruto profusely denied, adding that he tripped over his own feet. A low growl came from Konohamaru, and the boy glared at Naruto, Naruto returning it with one of his own. Starting another attack, Konohamaru went towards Naruto, but the young boy didn't get a chance to do anything because Naruto quickly grabbed him by his shirt, picking him up in the process. When he did that, he also noticed a man dressed in black appeared in the door, panic running across his face, the glasses lowered. The man noticed what was going on and quickly yelled at Naruto to let him go or pay the consequences for harming the Honorable Grandson of the Third Hokage.

"Naruto, you shouldn't…," Sakura tried to warn him as Naruto looked towards the boy with his fist raised, cocked and ready to hit the boy that tried attacking him.

_It's just as I thought. This person isn't bold enough to hit me after hearing that fact…_the young boy thought to himself, right before Naruto brought his fist down, making a lump on the boy's head, while shouting that he didn't care if he was the Hokage's son.

"Honorable Grandson!" the male with the glasses said, before glaring at Naruto. _Stupid demon brat, harming the Honorable Grandson…_he thought to himself as he pushed his glasses up.

Sighing quietly at the scene, Sarutobi said that Naruto and Sakura could leave and as they did so, Sakura bowed in apology for Naruto's actions but Sarutobi waved it off. For once, someone wasn't afraid to give Konohamaru what he deserved.

As the duo left, each received a glare from the glasses-wearing man, ignoring it as they always did. Before long, they were walking out of the tower, both now bored out of their minds. However, the bored look turn into a glare as both Genin looked behind them, noticing a square rock.

Whispering to Naruto, Sakura asked if he wanted to take care of it or her. Saying that he would take care of it, Naruto then suggested Sakura to do some training at 3 lbs to which Sakura said she would. Heading off, Sakura activated the weights, carefully setting them to the weight that she wanted.

* * *

After the two of them left, Ebisu ranted, saying that even though he was the Grandson of the Hokage, the Honorable Grandson shouldn't involve himself with people like them and teach him how to become a great Hokage. However, as the teacher looked away for a few seconds, the boy was gone. "Where did the young master go?"

"Konohamaru is probably following Naruto and Sakura by now, Ebisu. I would be surprised if he wasn't." He said as Ebisu started panicking and ran out of the room, searching for Sakura, Naruto and his student.

_Why would he want to head after those riff-raffs? _he thought to himself before heading out, his personal mission, finding the young master.

* * *

Walking back to where the square rock was, he gave it a small kick. When nothing happened, Naruto got annoyed before saying, "you're not fooling anyone you know, and besides, rocks don't have perfect lines." The box went up in smoke as Konohamaru appeared from it, coughing a little at the fact that he used a little too much smoke.

"You were the one who beat my grandfather with one technique, right? Teach it to me, please?"

"Why?"

"I want to become Hokage, just like you."

"That's not what I meant. Why do you want to know the technique?"

"It's because I want to defeat my teacher and show him that I can become Hokage without his help…," Konohamaru stated as Naruto pondered on what to do.

**I say you do it.**

_Why? He was ready to attack me earlier for something I didn't do, just like everyone else._

**Unlike everyone else though, it wasn't because of me; he was just looking for someone to blame instead of placing the blame on himself.**

_If you say so…_he thought before ending the conversation with Hosaki, only to see a pleading boy looking at him. Sighing, he agreed to help him, which got a grin and an expression of great from his new apprentice, also starting to refer to Naruto as "boss."

_This is going to take a while…_Naruto thought to himself before he heard a giggle from Hosaki. Silencing her by cutting off the mental link, he didn't see the pout that the fox queen was giving her jailor.

"So, what do you know?" Naruto asked as the two walked on, getting a curious look from the boy.

"Why do you want to know that?"

"So I know where to start. It would be boring if I told you something that you already knew, no?"

"I guess…anyways, I know about chakra and how to form it, but that's about it. I also know about your technique and how it defeated my grandfather in one attack," Konohamaru said as Naruto listened on.

"Alright, since you already know about chakra and how to use it, as well as the technique, then the next best thing to do is just test it out." Naruto said as Konohamaru looked on in interest.

"What should I do?" Konohamaru asked, before Naruto told him to wait, wanting to get confirmation from someone. A few minutes later, Naruto had a grin on his face, especially since he used the Yoko's own words against her. After doing that, Naruto saw a pretty girl near the end of the street.

Finding a young female civilian with light brown hair in a ponytail and a blue kimono, Naruto pointed towards her, telling Konohamaru to transform into that woman there. Seeing on whom Naruto was pointing at, Konohamaru used the seal for Henge no jutsu and when the smoke cleared, there was a woman; however, the body was extremely fat and her hair was in disarray and even the face was fatty.

"So, what do you think?" he asked as Naruto cringed, saying that she looked similar to the female and that the clothes were perfect, but before he could say anything else, he felt a small amount of killer intent behind him. Turning around, he received a punch straight to his head. After she did that, she went to Konohamaru, who undid the jutsu before anything else happened; cringed as he was expecting a blow for himself as well, but all the female said was to do a cuter transformation of herself next time. Saying that she was scary, Naruto could only agree to the boy's judgment.

"Alright then, now that you know what not to do, I'm going to get something that will help you with the technique. Let's go," Naruto said as the two of them went off to the bookstore. Using a henge, Naruto went into the bookstore before quickly coming back out, a few books in his hand, and a grin on his face, especially since he was able to prank the old man who always gave him grief when it came to buying something.

* * *

Sakura was walking through the village with the thought of what would happen in the near future, team placements. _I hope I'm placed with someone I like…_ she thought to herself as she waved hello to Hinata before stopping as the girl called her name, intrigued, Sakura made her way over to the shy laden girl. "Hey Hinata," she said as Hinata smiled.

"Are you free Sakura-chan?"

"Sure, why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the hot springs…," Hinata said, poking her fingers together in nervousness. While she lost her stutter years ago after being saved by Naruto, she still reverted to that habit whenever she was nervous.

"Sure thing," she said as the two walked towards the hot springs, talking about everything and nothing, just happy to be in the other's company, something they wouldn't be able to have for much longer.

When they got there, they noticed things in disarray, nothing showing what happened, but the two kunoichi could assume that they just missed a pervert and while annoyed at the fact the pervert wasn't found, at least the two girls were not looked upon with perverted eyes.

"Guess we're lucky, huh Hinata?" Sakura asked as the blue-haired girl nodded.

* * *

_This is what you meant when you said you weren't going to hurt me…the kunoichi are doing it for you…_

**That isn't true. What I would do is much worse than what these humans can do; trust me.**

_Fine…_ he finished in a disbelieving tone before seeing Konohamaru wave his hand in front of his face. Swatting it away, Naruto asked the kid if he was okay.

"I'm alright…I'm sorry for the trouble…," he started saying before Naruto interrupted him.

"Why are you sorry? I'm the one teaching you and so both the teacher's and student's problem lie on the teacher's." Naruto said as it only fell on deaf ears.

"It's because I'm the grandson of a Hokage that people treat me like this…,"

"It doesn't matter. Either the prince of the village or a lowly street rat like me…it doesn't matter, at least in my eyes. Now then, we need to go to a training field and work on some small details…," He said as the child looked onwards.

"Such as?"

"Right now, you're on step two of three. You just need a little practice before perfecting it and getting to that third and final step. Now then, follow me," Naruto said before heading off at a brisk pace, Konohamaru trying hard to keep up with him.

Once the duo got there, Naruto noticed that his apprentice was showing signs of fatigue, but in order to make new limits, he would have to break through the ones he had now. After Konohamaru looked over the book, he looked back at Naruto with a confused look in his eyes, "You wanted me to study porn?"

"Not exactly, and as you saw in that porn, there were four things that made the female look attractive: the face, the chest, the waist, and the butt. Now that you know this, go ahead and try the Oiruke no jutsu again, keeping all four traits in mind." Naruto said as Konohamaru did as Naruto said before a poof went off.

"Well?"

"Not bad, try again." Naruto said, before growing quiet once again as Konohamaru did the ram seal, turning into a much better female than before. "Good. I say you got it down now kiddo," to which Konohamaru grinned at this.

**Naruto, that teacher of his is coming here. I think he felt your chakra…**

_No problem, it would be a great test for my young apprentice and in case he fails, I've been working on a jutsu that I wouldn't mind trying out on his teacher as well…_

**Oh?**

_You'll see. I just ask one thing…whatever happens; you don't hold me responsible _and after a few seconds of silence, Naruto got an all right from Hosaki.

* * *

Ebisu was searching for his student, as well as for the person who brainwashed him into leaving. Looking both high and low, Ebisu hoped that the demon didn't convert him or something else dreadful.

_Where are you?_ He thought to himself as he pondered over what he was doing, and how a twelve-year old Genin hopeful was undermining him, and as he was thinking of what to do, he felt a small pulse of chakra. Waiting a little longer, he felt it again, this time bigger and longer than the first. Grinning at what he found, Ebisu was happy that the monster didn't kill the Honorable Grandson, but other things came to his mind.

Grinning before he did a shushin to the nearby forest, he suddenly lost the source of the chakra signature and he started to panic, not knowing what the demon would do to an innocent child like his student. _Young Master should be here somewhere, I just don't know where… _Ebisu thought to himself as he shrugged before jumping to a branch. He was an elite teacher and didn't mind searching for his student the old-fashioned way, and as he jumped from branch to branch, he extended his senses, wondering where his student and that bug known as Naruto were.

* * *

"All right, let's take a break. You seem to be getting the hang of the Oiruke no jutsu." Naruto said as he produced a bottle of juice and tossed it to his apprentice. The young boy grabbed it and opened the container, taking a long swig from it.

"Thanks."

"No problem," he said as he then opened his container of juice and took a small sip from it. "I got a question for you, if you don't want to answer I'll understand but… why are you so obsessed with the old man Hokage?"

Looking at him with shock at asking such a question, the boy slouched a little before telling Naruto. "When I was born, Grandpa gave me the name Konohamaru. He took it from the name of this village, but even though it's a name, everyone hears many times, no one actually calls me by that name. Whenever anyone sees or calls me, they only see the grandson of a Hokage and no one recognizes me as an individual. I hate that so…I want the title of Hokage right now."

After hearing his story, Naruto thought about it before coming to a conclusion. Knowing that he would sound harsh, it needed to be said. "You're an idiot. No one would recognize a kid like you as the Hokage,"

"What?"

"You keep shouting 'Hokage, Hokage,' but if you really want that title so badly…," he said before turning to his student and smirking, "you need to defeat me first! All right, break time is over, one more time with the Oiruke before I show you something practical."

"Something practical?"

"What could someone like you teach someone as the Honorable Grandson?" Ebisu asked as he appeared out of the forestry, hearing the last moments of conversation between the two. Glaring at the blonde, Ebisu was wondering what he taught the young master.

_Why do people always stare at me with those types of eyes?!_

**Naruto…the only reason that they do this is because they cannot let go of the past. They still hate me, and you, because of what happened. When a person hates another and does not recognize that person, the eyes become terribly cold when looking at the person they hate. This person…he thinks you are lower than scum.**

_Figures…_Naruto thought to himself as he kept his guard up, just in case Ebisu decided to attack. However, he didn't go after Naruto, but Konohamaru. "Young master, it's time to go home."

"I don't want to. Besides, after today I won't need your help anymore."

"You don't have a choice young master; I am your teacher and you need to obey me, and what thinks anything that he teaches you would help?" Ebisu asked him in his lecturing voice, before pulling on the boy's scarf.

"He taught me much more than what you did!" Konohamaru shouted as he took his scarf off, the cloth coming to Ebisu's hands quickly.

"Forgive me young master, but it is impossible to just become Hokage like that. Hokage is a title that you receive when you understand the principles of morality, knowledge, loyalty, getting along with your family and can use more than a thousand techniques…" He started saying, but was interrupted as Konohamaru put his training to the test, yelling "Henge!" Konohamaru transformed into a perfect female with brunette hair reaching to the bottom of "her" back and asking in a soft and seductress voice, "What do you think…teacher?" All Ebisu did however, was look in disgust at the technique. As the boy cancelled the technique, Konohamaru ended in a loose taijutsu stance, complaining that it didn't work.

"How…How could you use such an indecent technique like _that_?! I am a gentleman; did you actually think that a technique like _that_ would work on someone like me? Young master, you're only going to get dumber and dumber if you hang around the likes of him. Besides, how many times have I told you that the quickest path to become a Hokage is to listen to me! Now let's go home before he corrupts your mind even further young master…"

_Saki-chan, remember when I told you to just watch?_

**Yeah**

_You're about to see why I asked…_

Intrigued at this, Hosaki just stood there waiting for what was going to happen. Sitting down on the desk created for her, she watched on.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto shouted, angry with the teacher who said there were things such as shortcuts to become the Hokage. As several clones appeared, Ebisu smirked before walking to where the group appeared.

"This is silly. I am an elite teacher, even if I don't look the part and different from Mizuki. Your clones cannot hide the real you," he said before getting into an attack position. However, before he could fight through his clones, they all put their hands in the ram sign before using the Henge no jutsu. When the massive smoke cloud cleared, several redheads were present; however, these weren't your average girls. These girls were any guys' sex dream come true, and like most males, Ebisu gawked at them. That moment was all Naruto needed as his clones moved in on him, rubbing their bodies against the male and before long, Ebisu was knocked out by extreme blood loss as Naruto returned to his regular form, and the clones disappeared.

"You like? I call it my Harem no Jutsu," Naruto said as the smoke disappeared, a foxy grin on his face. He was glad that he told Hosaki not to comment on that, otherwise, he would be getting an earful from the vixen about that. Starting to leave the bastard lying on the ground, Naruto stopped as he heard Konohamaru's voice. "Why? Why am I still unable to defeat glasses-teacher?"

"It's not that easy. You're trying to take the title of Hokage, something that everyone in the village recognizes. I'm sure there will be many unpleasant things but eventually, you will find at least one person that recognizes you. It took me some time and a lot of hard work, but it will happen. You need to be prepared to take the title of Hokage and have to do two things later on in life to become Hokage," Naruto told him.

"What's that?"

"One is don't depend on the closet pervert for everything and learn that there are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage…and the second, you should already know," he said as he walked away.

"If that's the case, then from now, you and I are rivals, got that?!" Konohamaru yelled before turning away from Naruto.

"That's fine. I wouldn't have time to train you anyways since I'm becoming a ninja tomorrow anyways. Sorry, but you're already behind…rival, I will fight you for that title one day. Until then, look forward to it…Konohamaru" Naruto said before turning away.

_He said my name! Did I already earn Naruto-sensei's respect? _Konohamaru thought to himself, the grin on his face getting wider. Konohamaru didn't see it since he was lost in his thoughts, but Naruto raised his hand and waved, signifying a good-bye to the young boy.

**That was sweet of you Naru-chan.**

_Thanks. I'm curious though about your thoughts on the Harem no jutsu…_

**It was…effective, but maybe too effective. Let this be a warning to you, if you ever try to repeat today's events without my consent, let's just say that perverts have earned a special place in hell that's directly under my jurisdiction…**

…_I understand._

**Good.**

Reaching the front door of his home, he let himself in, noticing that Sakura wasn't there, and probably went to sleep. Heading up to the stairs, Naruto took off his white shirt and blue shorts before getting under the covers. As he entered dream world, the kitsune queen thought that she'd allow him to sleep peacefully just this once, seeing as how early he had to get up and everything that happened already. Sighing quietly to herself, she wondered if she would ever see Kouen again, and if so, would she recognize her in her sealed state. _**Maybe…nah, I couldn't ask Naruto to do that.**_ She thought to herself as sleep also claimed her.

* * *

At six o'clock, the sound of two alarms started blaring as both Naruto and Sakura hit the snooze button before turning the device off. Naruto got up and grabbed the first shirt and pants that he saw in the drawers before grabbing a pair of boxers and heading to the shower. Seeing that it was free, he slipped in and locked the door. Fifteen minutes later and his mangy-tried combed hair still the usual mess that it was, so he decided just to let it be. Wrapping the towel around his waist and drying himself off, he cleaned the rest of his body off before putting on a black shirt, which still had his spiraling crest on it, but it was tunneling, making it look like a cave. Inside the cave was something that looked like a gigantic red eye, with nothing on the back of the shirt. The pants were dark crimson in color and had a few wolf and fox tails entwined, but more of the wolves than foxes.

He opened the door and stared straight into Sakura's emerald-like eyes. Blushing out of embarrassment for a second, Naruto moved aside so the girl could get into the bathroom and take her shower as he went back to his room in order to get the rest of his weapons. After putting the last kunai in its holster by his legs, he yawned once again and put on his new hitai-ate. Asking his tenet about something with the Kage Bunshin and not getting a response, he assumed that she was still asleep and that trying to wake her up would be like waking up the Sannin Tsunade and he didn't want to deal with what the consequences would be like. A few minutes later, he headed downstairs.

A few minutes later, Naruto saw Sakura come down in similar attire, although while his had the details on them, Sakura's outfit was plain. The family crest of the Kinomotos was on the top back of the shirt. She had medical tape over her hands and feet, fingerless gloves over the tape for added protection. After eating breakfast and cleaning up after themselves, the crimson duo headed off to the Academy for the last time. Both were quiet on the trip there, nervous as hell and both hoped that they would be within the same Genin Squad. Sakura didn't care who it was, while Naruto hoped Hinata or Kiba was with him.

As they headed inside the doors and into their classroom, they both took a seat where they normally did, and waited for everyone else to come in. Sakura noticed Sasuke was the next one there and sat beside them so that he could be away from his fan club. Now annoyed, Sakura's thoughts and mood changed as Sasuke's aura was starting to affect her.

_I'd be happy to be with Naru-kun and anyone else…except maybe Sasuke. I don't see what Ino sees in that baka…_Sakura thought to herself before looking at Naruto and the happy look that was on his face, and why shouldn't he be happy? He was going to graduate with his friends.

_Come on karma, just once be on my side. I mean, I've had enough bad karma to at least rack up some good, right? _Sighing at the thought, he continued his mental monologue. _I just hope I'm teamed with Saku-chan and anyone else._ He thought to himself as Iruka appeared at the front of the classroom from the door, still having a few bandages here and there, but for the most part, looked completely healthy.

Looking at the team placements scribbled down on his chart, Iruka had a feeling that neither Sakura nor Naruto were going to like the fact of dealing with Uchiha Sasuke, but the Hokage had a good argument for that. Knowing that Iruka could be trusted, Sarutobi told the teacher about what was going to happen in a few months time--the massacre of the Uchiha. While Iruka was appalled, once Sarutobi explained everything that Itachi gave him, Iruka understood that it would eventually have to happen. He also had the feeling that if Sasuke learned about this, he would go after Itachi and want revenge. Therefore, sticking him with his rival and a girl that didn't like him, would force Sasuke to become better and not coddled by his teammates…or their new senseis.

Coming back to the present, Iruka clapped his hands together as the room became quiet. _…why couldn't they do that before?_ He thought to himself in mock pity before going on. "Before I rattle off the names of your Genin cells, let me first congratulate you on taking your first steps on becoming kunoichi and shinobi. However…you are still only Genin and your journey will only begin from here." He said as he let the new Genin process the information. "Alright, now then, you will now be placed into your Genin cell. This will be considered your family up until you head into the next rank, but that probably won't happen anytime soon. As that is settled, Team One will be…," he said as Naruto didn't completely tune him out, but he wasn't completely listening either, that is until he came to Team Seven. "Team Seven will consist of the following people: Uzumaki Naruto, Kinomoto Sakura, and the final person will be Uchiha Sasuke. I repeat: Uzumaki Naruto, Kinomoto Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke make up Team Seven."

Both Sakura and Naruto grinned at one another, and Sakura felt a cold chill in the air after the other teams called out. When she turned around, every girl that was in the Sasuke fan-girl club were glaring daggers at her, almost wishing that she died right then and there. Unfortunately, the girls didn't have too long to stare before Sakura closed her eyes, ignoring everything around her. As Iruka let the class out for a one-hour lunch break, he sighed to himself as to the political bloodbath that was to come, and to make sure that no one went down other than who should; the shinobi family of Uchiha. Shifting through his thoughts, he let himself get lost in memories gone by as the kids…no, young adults now, had a few last moments to talk to friends that they would have little to no time seeing after their shinobi careers started.

After the break, several Jounins came to pick up their team and soon, Naruto noticed that they were still waiting for their sensei. Quietly meditating, he felt himself get closer to his core of chakra before coming to Hosaki's classroom.

_Grr…where's our sensei? He or she is already late enough as it is!_ He thought aloud as Hosaki giggled at Naruto's antics before Naruto turned his gaze onto her. When asked what, Naruto just sighed before thinking up some plans, still ranting about the lateness of his sensei

_I just wonder who our sensei will be. He or she is late enough as it is._

**You have wire, kunai and other shinobi utensils. Find a way to use them and prank your sensei for when he or she comes inside as punishment for being late. I'll even help, just this once…**

Grinning as he got up from his chair, he headed over to the doorway and started to make some adjustments, waiting for his new sensei to come. Whoever came through that door was going to be in for a rude awakening when either he or she came to collect his or her new team.

End of Chapter

Dragon and Sword Master: I'm sorry for the lengthy time it took to write this, but unfortunately, many things are happening in my life so I cannot write as freely as I once could. I hope that no one minds the details for the things that Naruto and Sakura wear, as well as the small scene between Naruto and Sakura.

Phoenix and Staff Master: My brother wants to know what you think of Areku so far. If you are reading this, please take a few seconds to review…

Notes

1)

I haven't forgotten the massacre, I'm just placing it a little differently, and you'll see shortly where it will come up as well as Gabrella's role…

2)

Gai and the Fight Card were something that just came to me, and then FireSamurai told me something that I forgot about the Fight Card's personality: she only likes fighting strong opponents, and even though she doesn't want to train her now, she still gave advice so that if she wanted to later…the Fight could teach her later on. Now then, with that said, the weights will be used for a while, but Sakura has to be careful (unlike Naruto), because ankle weights, such as Lee's and implied Gai's, are very risky to use and sometimes hurt more so than help.

3)

The dog demon that Hosaki fought could be Ino no Taishou or one of his sons, or he could not. I will let you fans decide on that, but in the end, it doesn't matter all that much since I probably won't bring that dog demon up again until Kouen comes in…maybe.


	5. Ringing in the New Age

Dragon and Sword Master: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter, but before exams, I got the blue screen of death. I tried rebooting it in each mode and um…yeah, never worked back up. Usually I tend to update on Christmas and my birthday, but unfortunately, it seems as if my wish of updating on Christmas went up in smoke this year.

However, to make up for that, I will update all of my stories, even the ones I haven't worked on in a while…to which I will create several Kage Bunshin to take the damage of thrown fruit and whatnot.

Sakura: Now then, onto the next chapter of Son of a Kitsune!

Dragon and Sword Master: Hey, I was going to say it!

Sakura: You were taking to long.

Dragon and Sword Master: *Growls at Sakura as she sticks her tongue out.*

* * *

Chapter 5: Ringing in the New Age

Kakashi was merely walking down the hall of the Academy silently reading his newest addition to his library. If one did not know who he was from the many rumors that surrounded him, people would say that he was a shinobi only for the benefits of being one. However, people who knew Kakashi knew that this was one small way on how he honored one of his friend's memories.

Stopping a few feet from beside the door, Kakashi could feel a small amount of killer intent rolling off all three Genin. Wondering what his student and/or students planned to do for punishment because of his tardiness, Kakashi created a Kage Bunshin and have it open the door. A few minutes later when it dissolved and the memories came back to him, he was extremely glad that he created a clone.

What greeted his sense of sight was a semi war zone as several different types of kunai scattered the lower and upper wall near where the clone was. Ninja wire also scattered the floor, a little more around the middle of the small pile. _Note to self; never piss off I Sensei's son_…he thought to himself as he remembered how bad it was to have the ninja wire cutting into his genitals. Not only that, but his favorite book was soaked in what looked like oil. Where Naruto got the oil, Kakashi could only guess before a match struck a hard surface before alighting the wire and his favorite book.

"Alright, who thought of that?" Kakashi asked, but only got three stern looks. When Kakashi realized that he wouldn't get an answer out of any of them, he shrugged. "I assume you three are team seven. Head to the roof, I'll be there shortly," he said as the three didn't believe him. "Now would be nice, unless you want to do D-ranks for a year…"

"You better take Kakashi-senpai seriously kiddies, you have no idea how bad D-rank missions can get," said a voice said from the teacher's seat. As the four looked at it, Kakashi sighed. "Well then, since my assistant is already here, we're going to have the meeting here instead of on the roof. Areku-san, if you could please remove the genjutsu around yourself…" Kakashi said as Ark suddenly appeared in Iruka's chair, his feet placed on the desk.

"How many times have I told you about that Inu-chan?" Ark growled out as Kakashi glared at the gunslinger. If no one else was around the two of them, Kakashi would slide his hiati-ate up, revealing his sharingan and Ark would raise his hiati-ate, something no one wanted to see. However, the tension was destroyed by Naruto pointing a finger at Ark.

"Wait a second…You!" Naruto shouted as he remembered where he first saw the person in front of him. "You're the one who saved Sakura-chan's life!"

"Yup. Now then, as Inu-chan was saying, he wants us to get to know each other, since the five of us will be one squad." Ark replied, as well as stealing Kakashi's thunder. Kakashi was annoyed, but reined it in, not wanting to act like a spoiled brat who always got his or her way. However, before either of the two Jounin could give an example, Sakura threw out a question.

"I thought all Genin squads had four members; one squad leader and three Genin. Why are we getting two Jounin senseis?"

"Well…I'm not a teacher per say, just someone here to keep an eye on a certain friend of mine. That, and to make sure a lazy teme shows up on time." Ark replied with a grin. "Any more questions?" he asked and heard nothing. "Kakashi-senpai, if you would continue?"

Reluctantly putting away his book, Kakashi stood up to his full height. "Alright, now that you're here, I'd like you to introduce yourselves. Your names, dreams for the future, likes, dislikes, and any hobbies that you might have, stuff like that." Waiting for someone to go, he realized that no one understood what was going on. "Alright then, I'll go first. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I don't feel like telling you my likes and dislikes. Hobbies…you'll find out in a few years, same goes for my dreams."

Sighing, Ark got off the chair and migrated to the edge of the teacher's desk. "Must you be so troublesome Kakashi-senpai? You like porn and used to like promptness. You dislike people who threaten your Icha Icha and anyone wearing green spandex. Your dream is to meet the author of said porn series, Jiraya the Toad Sage, and bow down to his greatness," Ark said, telling about something of the man that would become their sensei.

"Well, since you feel so well talking about me, what about you Shiro-chan?" Kakashi asked cheerfully as Ark just turned his way, pulled out one of his guns and fired at Kakashi. Kakashi ducked under it as the bullet hit the wood desk behind him, freezing it. "Don't EVER call me that again Inu-chan. Next time, I'll make sure not to miss. Now then, my full name is Tenjin Areku, but it would benefit your health if you called me Ark. Any other information is classified as top secret information."

"Bullshit. How can someone like you get that privilege?" Sasuke asked as Ark grimaced dangerously at the raven-haired youth.

"Careful of whom you provoke duck-butt, but I'm sure that was just a slip of the tongue and I'll let it go…this time. Make sure there isn't a next time, or else." Ark said, putting Shimo back into its holster. "Now then, since you wisely decided to open your mouth and try belittling me, why don't you go next, duck-butt."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. My likes include my family and training. I hate how my brother acts towards me. My dream is to get father's approval at least once and awaken my doujutsu. Hobbies include training and that's about it." Sasuke replied hastily, knowing right away that he wouldn't like Areku.

Naruto watched all of this as it happened, mildly chuckling at the nickname he gave to Sasuke. Granted, he liked his own nickname for his rival, but it didn't matter all that much because the bastard was still getting humiliated. "Alright, I'll go next, if you don't mind Saku-chan." Getting an agreement from the girl beside him, Naruto introduced himself. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage! My likes are my friends, family, training, ramen and cool jutsus. I also don't mind cooking other things from time to time. Dislikes…prejudiced bastards who try to hurt my friends, the three minutes it takes to make ramen and that's about it. Hobbies…training and practicing anything I know to better myself as a shinobi of Konohagakure."

_Not bad, and to think he still wants to be a protector after everything he's endured…_Kakashi and Ark thought to themselves before waiting for the last member of the team to go.

With all the attention on her, Sakura felt a little nervous and started to blush. "Well…My name is Kinomoto Sakura. My likes are my friends, family and my cards. My dislikes are waiting for Naruto-kun to get up. My hobbies are reading and thinking up new combos for my cards and my dream…" here she started to mumble and only Ark and Naruto were able to hear it. Kakashi asked her to repeat it, and she sighed before repeating it. "My dream…is to get stronger so I'm not a burden to aniki or Naruto-kun," slightly blushing after she said this.

_Good. She isn't a troublesome fan girl that I have to force into training_ Kakashi thought to himself before quietly sighing. _Although Naruto and Sakura probably already have good teamwork…I'm not sure if the bells test would be best…_ he thought to himself before looking onwards _but then again Sasuke could be trouble…hm, what to do, what to do? _Kakashi thought to himself as he looked at all three members of Team Seven.

"Kakashi-senpai, as much as it troubles you, why don't you do what you always do to test future teams? Anyways, I better check on my apartment, make sure no one tried burning it down, so troublesome it is…" the gunslinger said before vanishing with a touch of frost, the desk getting a light dusting of frost before it quickly melted away, leaving a water stain on the light-colored wood. Chuckling at this, Naruto and the rest of Team Seven turned back towards the white-haired male, "Kakashi-sensei, why did you call him Shiro-chan, when you yourself also have white hair?"

"Eh…the nickname really never bothered me so people didn't bother using it. Ark-san, on the other hand, hates that name with a passion; just like I hated it when he called me 'Inu-chan' and I will not explain as to why he calls me that, maybe later on in life, maybe." Kakashi said as Naruto and the others nodded at that, knowing that they wouldn't receive anymore information about himself today. "Now then, the four of us have a mission tomorrow."

"Already?" Naruto asked with excitement. Chuckling, Kakashi nodded at the blonde.

"Yes, the four of us will have a mission and it's based around survival training. Now before anyone complains, this is no ordinary training mission."

"What do you mean sensei?" Sakura curiously asked. At this, Kakashi started to chuckle before it turned into full blown-out laughter. "What's so funny?!" Sakura asked, extremely annoyed at their sensei's actions.

"Well, if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be surprised. Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine are going to become Genins. The other eighteen will be sent back to the Academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a failure rate of sixty-six percent." At this, all three Genin showed some form of shock. For Naruto and Sakura it was a drop of the mouth, for Sasuke it was just a rise of his eyebrows.

"You're kidding me! After all I went through to become a shinobi…then what was the purpose of the Final Exam?" Naruto shouted.

"That? It just shows who has the potential to become Genin." Kakashi said, getting a groan from the blonde boy. "Now then, our training tomorrow will be akin to the survival missions that you did in the Academy. Before you say anything about it, this mission will be different than usual survival missions. Any questions?" Kakashi asked as Sakura shakily raised her hand.

"If we're made to learn that stuff, does it have anything to do with our shinobi/kunoichi career and if it doesn't, then why do we have to learn it in the first place and do the Graduation test?"

"It is so we can pick out the weak and faint of heart. While it's true that most of Iruka's teachings may or may not be useful in the real world, it shows who can become a shinobi and live instead of becoming a shinobi and dying. Do you understand now Sakura?" Nodding, Kakashi quickly continued. "Anyways, I'm the one who gets to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your ninja equipment and meet me at 7 a.m.!"

At this, he turned around and said that the meeting was over. Before heading off, he said one more thing. "Oh, and don't bother eating breakfast. You'll vomit if you do." He said before truly leaving the three alone to their thoughts, or so they thought. Kakashi had subtlety created a Kage Bunshin and had it transform into a nearby rock before leaving.

"Anyone up for lunch, I'll buy," Naruto asked as he heard someone's stomach grumble before seeing Sakura blush in embarrassment. Sasuke shrugged. If the blonde was willing to take them both out for a free lunch then he wasn't going to complain. "You guys don't mind Ichiraku do you?"

"I'd rather have either one of us cooking, but I suppose Ichiraku is the next best thing," Sakura said as Sasuke looked on in wonder…the dobe could cook?

* * *

"…how does he do that?" Sasuke asked in shock as he saw Naruto eat yet another bowl of ramen. Several empty bowls were stacked neatly nearby the blonde as he finished up what seemed to be his last bowl of ramen. However, once he gulped down the broth that was left into the bowl, he asked for another one. Sasuke's eyes were starting to bug out at all the new information he was learning about both the blonde and one of the few girls that weren't part of the Sasuke fan girl club.

"I've been with him longer than I can remember and even I still don't know the answer to that Sasuke-san." Sakura replied, her pair of chopsticks resting lightly on top of the bowl. As she saw Naruto finish she finally sighed in relief. She didn't know where he put it and didn't bother asking.

"Thank you for the meal Teuchi-san, Ayame-nee-chan," Naruto said, putting his chopsticks on top of the bowl, signifying that he was finally done.

"It's no problem Naruto-kun," Ayame replied with a grin. She was happy that their favorite customer was well cared for, even though he didn't come here as much anymore. Turning around, Naruto looked at his two teammates.

"So…what do you think Kakashi-sensei and Ark-sensei have planned for us?"

"I think its more Kakashi-sensei we have to worry about, I think he will be testing us tomorrow alone. Areku said he would more likely be a bodyguard for someone," Sasuke said, not caring that he used Ark's full name.

"Perhaps," Sakura said, continuing on, "but it won't help us if we keep on worrying about what will happen. We should all go home; rest and relax before all hell comes down on us tomorrow."

"That actually sounds like a good idea Sakura-chan," Naruto said, putting some money down on the counter to pay for Sakura's bowl and for Sasuke's two bowls. He knew that he didn't have to pay for his meals since he worked for the two from time to time. Once they exited, Sakura and Naruto headed one way, while Sasuke headed the other way, both promising not to fail, whatever it may be.

* * *

"We're home Aniki!" Sakura shouted as Naruto closed the door. When he turned around, Rai was in front of them, asking them several questions. He was only able to catch the last two and Sakura's answers.

"So your sensei is Kakashi-teme?" Rai asked as both teenagers nodded. Continuing on after he got confirmation, "talk about unfair. He'll be training my sister and adopted brother, while I'm still stuck in ANBU. Oh well, guess I should feel somewhat sorry for him, seeing as he's training _my_ family. Although this Ark person…I've only heard rumors about him. The Blue Dragon of the East…"

"Aniki…" Sakura said as both Genin groaned at his teasing.

"So you know a lot about Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as Rai nodded.

"He has a lightning affinity and known as Sharingan no Kakashi in the bingo books. He once was an ANBU captain, but after a mission that went bad he retired from the ANBU squad. He's now a Jounin as you can see. He also created the assassination technique, Chidori, or Thousand Birds, but it's also known as another name…Raikiri, Lightning's Edge, for assumingly cutting a bolt of lightning in two with the technique. It's only a rumor though…I also know that he is chronically late to everything that isn't extremely important or if his special book collection is threatened to be either burned or banned by the Hokage."

"Alright…" Sakura said before yawning.

"You two should get to bed. It's late and you do have to get up early. Here's a tip. However long Kakashi was today is how long he'll always be. Now up to bed you two." He said as the two nodded. The two would tell Sasuke when they got there tomorrow.

* * *

Sasuke wandered back to the Uchiha complex, lost in thought. How could someone so lax like Kakashi be a Jounin? Something didn't set right with him and he was going to find out what it was. Seeing the entrance to his home, he raced towards the entrance, grinning. He could get all his answers now, if only he could find his older brother.

Heading towards the main area, he checked to see if Itachi was out on a mission or something personal, he saw that his brother was indeed in the complex, seeing as the marker next to his name was placed in the "in complex" area. Sasuke moved his marker from "personal" to "in complex" and headed off to find his brother, having a feeling that he would be in the training area, he headed off to that place first.

When he got there, he saw his older brother doing some kata work. Ever since he was born, Itachi was different than the rest of the Uchiha, which he liked. He wasn't snobby nor was he a pain to deal with, even if he never had time for him. Walking forwards, he was about to talk before Itachi stopped and opened his eyes. "Yes Sasuke?" he asked.

"I was wondering, have you ever heard of Hatake Kakashi?"

"I have. Why do you ask Sasuke-kun?"

"He's apparently my team's sensei, but for the life of me, I can't see why he is a Jounin. He's so lackadaisical and he was two hours late to meeting us for team introductions."

"Really now? Well…that man acts that way for a reason Sasuke-kun. Trust me when I say that looks can be deceiving. Now then, is that all you wanted to ask me?" Itachi asked as Sasuke nodded his head in the negative.

"We also have another sensei, Tenjin Areku. I was wondering if you've heard of him as well Aniki."

"I have. He's called the Konoha no Ganfaita (Leaf's Gunfighter) and only he can use those weapons of his. You don't want to get on his bad side. Don't ever underestimate him, got it?" Itachi asked with a tone of seriousness that didn't go past Sasuke.

"I got it," he said, turning away from Itachi and heading back to his room, mumbling, "but I don't have to like it." Heading inside, he headed up to his room and got ready for bed. Before falling asleep, he thought about how interesting tomorrow would be.

* * *

**Time to wake up Naru-chan; you have a test to take today…**

_Five more minutes Saki-chan…_

**I wish I could give you those five minutes, but I can't. You need to be at the training grounds soon to beat that pervert.**

_Speaking of him being a pervert…I was wondering if I could use those techniques on him._

**Explain to me why I shouldn't be dousing you in extremely cold water right now for even suggesting that?**

_Because the man is a pervert and you hate perverts. The Harem no jutsu uses that pervertedness against said pervert. You and I both saw that book Kakashi-sensei was reading; it was pure porn._

…**Alright, I'll let you use them, but only this one time, understand? **

_Crystal clear Saki-chan._

**Now then, you have to get up. Remember not to tire yourself out to much afterwards; I want to train you as well afterwards.**

_Got it._ Naruto said, finally getting up, right before hearing an alarm clock going off. Grabbing some clothes, Naruto headed off to the bathroom to take his normal shower. As he headed down the hallway, he heard movement inside Sakura's room. Heading into the bathroom, he locked the door before taking a shower.

Finishing up, he turned the shower water off. Drying off, he got dressed. Putting the towel inside the hamper, he put a new one up and opened the door, seeing Sakura in her usual nighttime attire. Moving out of the way, Sakura went inside with her bundle of clothes.

Heading downstairs, he heard the start of water going. Yawning, he suddenly remembered Kakashi-sensei's warning about not eating anything. Of course, as soon as he thought that, his stomach started rumbling. _Maybe…no. Sensei said not to eat breakfast._

**Naru-chan, you should eat at least something.**

_But Kakashi-sensei said not to eat anything…I don't want to disobey his orders…_

**Naru-chan let me put it to you this way. Kakashi said not to eat breakfast, he didn't say not to eat anything. Something small couldn't hurt, right?**

_I suppose…_taking an apple from a bag on the counter, he bit into it. Finishing the apple quickly, he threw the core into the trash and waited for Sakura to come down. Seeing her come down the stairs, he watched Sakura stretch before he heard a growl coming from the Sakura's stomach. Blushing, she glared at Naruto who was suppressing a laugh.

"Here, catch," he said before tossing her an apple. Looking at him in confusion, Naruto explained the same theory that Hosaki explained to him. Seeing her nod in affirmation she agreed with Naruto. After eating the apple, she felt a little better.

"We should get going though. Kakashi-sensei might be late, but I have a feeling Ark-sensei will be on time."

"Saki-chan and I got that impression as well. Hopefully the teme gets that as well." Naruto said as Sakura looked at him before sighing. It was a lost cause, Naruto was going to call Sasuke teme until the day he died and Sasuke was going to call Naruto dobe. It was just how the universe worked she supposed. _But I don't have to like it _she thought before she saw Naruto at the door.

"Come on Saku-chan, stop daydreaming. Besides, you're the one who said you wanted to get going, right?"

"Sorry, I'm coming!" she shouted before heading towards the door. As she was moving, she put everything in its proper place, her kunai, shuriken and cards going into its slots and her shoes going on her feet. Getting outside, she noticed Naruto standing by the door, holding two things that were hers: her weights. "Thanks, I was looking for those."

"No problem," Naruto replied as she grabbed them from him, putting them on.

"Now then, we're finally ready to go. Let's just hope we're not late…," was all that was said before they both vanished into smoke.

* * *

_Troublesome idiot_ Ark thought to himself as he walked towards one of the apartments in the higher end district. He knew that Hatake Sakumo was a famous person, especially with his special blade, yet Kakashi was still living in a cheap apartment. Shrugging he headed up the stairs to the door of Kakashi's apartment.

_Who knew that the lazy bum lived here?_ Ark thought to himself before heading towards the door. Being alert, he felt the door, putting chakra into his hand to see if there were any seals or something else on the door or blocking the door. Sensing nothing, Ark carefully and quietly opened the door, only to hear a soft "clink" go off from the center of his Hitai-ate.

"Yo," Kakashi said as he exited the shower, a towel draped over his head, his face covered by the lower half of it as his mask was on the nightstand in the other room.

"'yo' yourself Kakashi-sempai. I suggest you get some clothes on and get going. I don't want to wait for your sorry ass again," the blind gunman said, leaving the room at that point in time. Before he left though, he looked over his shoulder. "If you aren't there at the time you said you will, I'll be back…" with that said, he left in a shushin as ice floated for a few seconds before melting and turning into water.

"Why am I teamed with him again?" he asked himself before getting dressed and grabbing the book that was near his mask. Putting the book in his pocket, he placed the mask on before resetting the trap and heading out the door. _Might as well do what he says…this once, _he thought to himself before heading down the stairs and headed towards the outside streets. _He's trying to get me back into my old habits, before Obito died, isn't he?_ While he was pondering that thought over, his book stayed in his pocket and his feet kept moving. Sighing, he kept going to the designated spot that he was going to meet everyone. "I'll think about this later" he said aloud to no one before vanishing, the only evidence that the man was there in the first place was a small circle of leaves. Soon, even those were blown across town by a small wind.

* * *

Appearing in the forest covered training grounds seven, Kakashi saw the four people that were going to be with him for quite some time if they passed the test that he was about to give the three younger people in the area.

"Ah good, you're all here, and here I thought someone would be late," Kakashi said while Ark coughed. Looking in his direction, he thought it was a suppressed laugh. Ignoring the man sitting in one of the trees, he continued. "The alarm is set to 10 a.m. Your objective here is to get these bells," and at this he held up two shiny silver bells before tying them to his waistband. "Those who don't get a bell by the time the alarm rings from me will get no breakfast, and I brought some great things to share with you. It would have been no lunch, but I decided to be prompt for once." _More like subtly forced, but all the same _he thought to himself as he heard Sasuke's stomach slightly rumble.

_Guess he didn't understand the meaning behind the words, unlike the other two…oh well, his loss._ "Now then, whoever doesn't get a bell will be tied to those posts behind you while Ark, myself and anyone lucky enough to get a bell will eat the food in front of you. Now then, the rules: come with me with the intent to kill. Otherwise, you will lose.

**Now are you glad you listened to me?**

_Yeah_

"Now then, when I say start, I want all of you to try your best and come at me with all that you have. Any questions?"

"Why are their only two bells?" Sakura asked. "Shouldn't there be three?" she continued on as Kakashi chuckled.

"There are two bells because one of you three will be tied to that post…and the person tied to that post will not only receive the honor of watching us eat in front of him/her, but that unlucky person will also be sent back to the Academy for another year." At this, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke each paled considerably.

_Father would kill me if I didn't pass today…_Sasuke thought to himself before fingering a kunai from his pocket, smirking at the information Kakashi-sensei gave them. It meant that he could go all out and not have to worry about the consequences for it.

"Alright then, anymore questions?" Kakashi asked. Receiving silence, Kakashi continued. "Well then, since there are no more questions, when I say 'start' this mission will be underway. Understand?" Getting three nods in confirmation, he smirked. _This is going to be fun. A shame I'll probably have to fail them like the others…_

"Start!" at this, all three jumped into the canopy, not knowing exactly what they were getting into.

* * *

_I can't believe this…_ the scarred Chunin thought to himself as he sped towards the tower with a folder in his hand. This folder consisted of a small list of Kakashi's history with inspiring Genin. Something in his gut was telling him that something bad was going to happen. Heading towards the Hokage tower, he stopped in front of it for a few seconds.

_The Hokage probably wouldn't listen to me anyways…then again…_

Heading up the stairs, worry was written all over his face, worried about Naruto. He went through a harsher test than the rest by defeating a Chunin and if Naruto had to go back to the Academy, Iruka didn't know how he would take it. Reaching the last set of stairs, the ANBU members stopped him for a bit. This was because he didn't have an invitation from the Hokage and that they were just doing their job.

"Hokage-sama, it's me Iruka, can I please come in?" Iruka asked. A few seconds later, the door opened and out walked the old man. Beckoning Iruka in, he thanked the guards before closing the door.

"What do you want to know Iruka-kun?"

"I heard a rumor about Naruto's sensei and when I looked into the folder of Jounin senseis, I saw that the rumor was possibly true. Is it possible for me to view Kakashi's full pass/fail Hokage-sama?"

Pulling out the small book that had the records of all Jounin sensei's in it, he handed it over to Iruka. Thumbing through the pages until he got to Kakashi's records, he started to read over them. When he was at the bottom of the page and went to flip to another page, it went to another sensei. "You're kidding…he's failed every Genin that he has tested? Unbelievable," Iruka said in disbelief.

"Sadly, it is true. Kakashi has failed every student tested before. I know how you feel about Naruto, but sometimes a father has to let his son do what he thinks is right. Trust Naruto and his team as I trust Naruto. Perhaps he will change Kakashi's mind and if he does fail, then I will find someone appropriate to train him and any worthy members of his team for a future placement as Genin.

"If you say so Hokage-sama, but I'm not entirely sure about this…" Iruka said as he got up. As Iruka was leaving, the Hokage went back to his desk and activated his crystal ball, letting him see what was going on in the training grounds that Kakashi and his potential team were in. _I hope I'm not wrong with this…_Sarutobi thought to himself as he sat down, putting his hands up and resting his head upon them.

"I know Ark-kun will keep an eye on Naruto, I just hope Kakashi doesn't do something stupid…" he mumbled to himself as he was held captivated by the training mission of Hatake Kakashi.

* * *

The three had run into Ark, and while Sakura asked him to help, he replied that he couldn't.

"Besides, I'm not the one taking the test, you are. Now get a move on you three, none of you are perfect afterall…"

After that, the three noticed Kakashi waiting for the three. "He probably already knows that we're here and waiting for us to strike." Sakura said, getting a low level card ready.

"If that's the case, let me try something first…"

"What do you have in mind Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked as both members looked towards the blonde.

"Just wait and watch…and she already approved of the plan." Naruto responded as Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this. Who was this she that Naruto was talking about? Pondering over this, he failed to see Sakura nodding at what he was about to do, as Naruto silently jumped away from the two and landing in a clearing, standing right in front of Kakashi.

"Come on sensei, you and me right here and now!" Naruto shouted as Kakashi sweat dropped at these antics. _I thought sensei's son would be smarter than this…_ he thought while sighing. Apparently, Naruto wasn't as smart as he thought, or so he believed…

Kakashi thought this was strange. He knew that the three were working together, so why did they let Naruto go out and try a direct attack by himself? Putting himself on guard, he let Naruto race towards him. _I wonder what's going to happen…_

Once Naruto got towards Kakashi, he lunged at him with a fist. Kakashi pushed his hand to the side. Using that momentum, Naruto spun with it, trying to attack Kakashi with a back fist. However, that didn't work as Kakashi caught the fist, throwing Naruto over his shoulder. Landing on his feet, Naruto unsealed a katana and quickly drew it, the sheathe going back into the seal. Seeing this, Kakashi pulled out a kunai and added chakra to it. _If these kids succeed remember to repair father's sword…_ Kakashi thought to himself. Blocking the jumping vertical slice with his kunai, Kakashi used his power to maneuver himself behind the blonde. Dropping the kunai on the ground, Kakashi used several hand seals.

"Lesson One: Never let your enemy get behind you, ever. Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu Ōugi: Sennen Goroshi!" (Hidden Leaf Secret: Taijutsu Supreme Technique: A Thousand Years of Death) Kakashi said before poking Naruto's ass. A few seconds later, Naruto went flying, but as Naruto passed the tree line, he grinned before disappearing into smoke.

_That was a Kage Bunshin, if so, where's the original... _Kakashi thought to himself in alarm while trying to search for Naruto's chakra signature. However, he didn't have to wait long or search for it since Naruto released the Henge and jumped up off the branch that he was hiding in with his sword drawn. His sword was covered with chakra and barely nicked his jacket, the place that was cut, turned into a small burn mark.

…_that was close. He almost caught my precious book. Alright, no more mister nice guy_ Kakashi thought to himself, vowing to teach the young blonde a lesson that he wouldn't forget: don't mess with sensei's book. He thought about using his Sharingan, but then again, if he did use it then it would make him look bad, having to pull his trump card over on a kid. _Then again, he is sensei's son…_seeing Naruto getting up, he grinned evilly before starting a strand of hand seals. Finishing, a thundercloud appeared over Naruto. As spears of the Kami came hurtling towards the young boy, Naruto tried dodging the bolts of lightning, each coming close and making the hair on his body start to stand on edge.

* * *

Sakura didn't know what to do. She saw Naruto and Kakashi start to spar, no fight, and then when he did that…_perverted_ technique, he vanished. After that, all hell started breaking loose. She didn't know what to do when he saw that cloud of lightning came out of nowhere and started attacking Naruto.

_Sensei's jutsu…_she thought to herself before pulling out a card. She didn't want to reveal their position, but at the same time, she didn't know how much longer Naruto could last against dodging it. Making up her mind, she added her chakra to the card, releasing it from its bindings.

_Your command mistress?_ A wolf of pure lightning appeared in front of Sakura, waiting her command.

"Protect Naruto and absorb Kakashi-sensei's jutsu. Feel free to use it right back at him too." She said as the wolf nodded, nuzzling against the palm of her hand, the back of it lightly raising from the amount of static electricity the beast was giving off. Jumping off the branch, the wolf landed above Naruto.

* * *

_Thanks Sakura-chan…_he thought to himself putting his hands together in a cross formation, his sword dropped so as to remove the chance of getting caught by the lightning from either Sakura's Thunder card or whatever the hell Kakashi-sensei was using. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He shouted, his plan changing a little to match the situation that he was in.

Kakashi's eyes widened a little. Sure he knew that Naruto could use the Kage Bunshin skill, but he didn't realize that he could create this many. Before he could start demolishing the clones that Naruto used, all of the clones did something that would lead to Kakashi's downfall.

"Henge!" The clones shouted, and all at once, the clones started transforming into beautiful women, naked except for smoke covering the private parts. His eye ogled at the scene in front of him, making him miss what the clones said next.

"Harem no Jutsu!"

_This is just like Icha Icha Paradise…Manu taking a bath…_seeing one of his favorite porn-related scenes come to life in front of him (unbeknownst to Naruto) Kakashi stood in a stupor, the focus needed for the jutsu was long gone and so was the jutsu itself. The wolf made out of electrical energy returned to his mistress' side before reverting back into his card form.

While this was happening, Kakashi didn't notice a small fox crawling ever so close to him before jumping up and snatching one of the bells from his waist. _It's easier to get one rather than two…_Naruto was thinking towards himself as moved to the secrecy that was the foliage around them. Once he was beyond Kakashi's line of sight, the women vanished.

_No, don't leave me…_Kakashi thought to himself a few moments after the women vanished. Taking a few moments to recollect himself, Kakashi felt himself lighter. Looking down, he noticed that he only had one bell strapped to his waist, the other bell was missing.

After finding out that Naruto stole one of the bells, as per mission requirements, Kakashi faintly heard laughter coming from the trees. Scowling Kakashi sent a blunt kunai towards Ark's location. He didn't waste a true kunai because he knew Ark would shoot it down. _Damn bastard and his damnable guns…_

_Interesting…seems like Naruto is a little bit of a pervert…_he thought to himself as he felt where the bells were and found that there was only one ringing. _Damn it, Naruto must have used the distraction to get a bell away from me. I'll admit, he was good, but he hasn't found out the true purpose of the test yet…_Kakashi thought to himself before shaking his head and grinning under his mask. Naruto's reputation as number one prankster was certainly true.

* * *

"Now what?" Sasuke asked as he saw Naruto return with the bell jingling inside of his pocket. He didn't want to admit it, but the blonde's jutsu was interesting and a useful tactic for any male pervert…and perfect for hiding amongst his fan girls. Of course, Sasuke would never voice this thought aloud. His first thought was to fight over the bell, but that was quickly opposed by both Sakura and Naruto.

"What about this? Sasuke, since you still haven't proven yourself, why don't you take ero-sensei on and Sakura-chan and I will cover you?" Naruto asked as Sasuke thought it over; he had to admit that Naruto had a good plan.

"Alright, I'll do it. Besides, I have traps ready to spring on him while you were keeping him busy," Sasuke replied as he jumped down from the safety of the tree, flinging a kunai at the semi-masked man as he dropped from the security of the tree. Kakashi barely had time to register the hit before vanishing in a cloud of smoke, a log in his place with the kunai in its side. _Aniki was right, throwing it at an angle while moving down towards an unsuspecting target does make the kunai go through the space between the floating rib and the rib cage. _Sasuke thought to himself as he grabbed the kunai from out of the log.

Turning around, he saw Kakashi leaning on a tree, reading that book of his. All he knew of the book was that it was related to porn and not something he ever wanted to look at.

"Why hello there Sasuke-chan, nice weather we're having, isn't it?" Kakashi asked as Sasuke growled in anger. His brother's warning flashed to the front of his head, causing Sasuke to take out a kunai and watch the man in front of him carefully. Closing his book, Kakashi looked in his direction.

"You know…you don't have much time left Sasuke-chan," Kakashi said as the young man growled, keeping his anger in check. It wouldn't do well to attack his sensei if he didn't have a clear mind. Before Sasuke moved, Sasuke saw a small glint in the distance, the signal that the three agreed upon before Sasuke left to attack Kakashi. Throwing the kunai in his hand, Kakashi turned around to see what he was aiming at. It was the worse decision that he decided to do because once he turned to where the mirror was, Sakura let out one of her medium strength cards, and one of the dangerous ones in the set.

"Aim at Kakashi!" was all that Sakura said as Kakashi sweat dropped at that. However, both Sakura and the young boy that Sakura summoned grinned. Kakashi-sensei did say to come at them with intent to kill. Dangerous as it may be, it was well worth the surprise that came from Kakashi as he to frantically dodge the annoying spirit. While dodging for his life, and mentally thanking for the ANBU training he received, Kakashi forgot about Sasuke.

Shot was moving Kakashi towards one of Sasuke's traps. Cutting the thread that held the many kunai together, the sun glinted off one of the metal weapons of death and right into Shot's eyes. Before Kakashi could take an opportunity due to the distraction, several kunai hit him in the leg, waist, and slicing off the other bell. Sakura called back Shot as Sasuke grabbed the other bell, and before Kakashi could do anything else, the shrill ringing of the timer went off.

As the timer went off, Sasuke grinned as the bell was within his grasp. Naruto gave Sakura his bell for doing a good job and saying that she helped both boys with their reckless attacks. Jumping down from the tree, the two came over to see Ark and Kakashi grinning.

"Technically, I should be tying Naruto or Sakura to a post and eat their breakfast but you three got the true idea behind this test so I'll negate that part. You three have proved great teamwork. Team Seven has passed the true Genin Test. Now then, appear here at…," he quickly looked at a chuckling Ark before continuing, "ten o'clock in the morning." He said before vanishing.

Ark stopped laughing when Kakashi left. Thinking of saying something to Naruto, he opened his mouth and then thought better of it. He didn't need to freak the poor kid out with what he knew about the blonde. Something other than the Kyuubi no Yoko…

* * *

A girl with midnight blue hair was trying to catch some breath as her sensei and father figure were fighting several thugs. These thugs had caught up to the duo after a bar fight that went wrong, with the male suffering some light cuts and bruises. The man won of course, because he was a shinobi, but more important, he was able to hold his liquor better than the men he was fighting. The thing that went horribly wrong? One of the lucky bastards was able to cut through the tape on his face, revealing his true nature. After that, all hell broke loose.

Blinking her eyes and returning to the present, the girl noticed one of the thugs looking at her with lust in his eyes. Reacting quickly, she sent several of her long range weapons at him, the sharp needles coming out the back of the man's throat, not only in disgust but also out of self preservation.

"You okay?" her sensei asked, hefting his sword on his shoulder, a small amount of blood appearing on it. Kneeling, he wiped his blade on the grass as she nodded. "Good, let's get going. We have to meet Angel soon. He said he wanted us to do a favor for him." The man said, hoisting the blade and securing it to his back. Taking some tape from the pack on his side, he paced them around his mouth again as usual. _There, that's better._ He thought to himself.

Walking a few more minutes, the male made a hand signal for the girl to hide in the trees before he himself headed towards the safety of the canopy above. As they did so, the gunfighter of Konoha appeared, along with two females that had a Kumo symbol on their Hitai-ates.

"As troublesome as this may sound, I need you two to do a favor for me. These two," he said, pointing towards the two females that accompanied him, "need some protection, and if I brought them to Konoha…"

"Don't worry Ark; we can take care of them. What are their names?" Grinning, Ark chuckled lightly.

"That's what I like about you Zabuza; you always got down to business. Anyways, the older female is Kuchiki Byakuya, but doesn't mind going by 'Bya-chan' either. The shy girl behind her is Nii Yugito." He said before being interrupted by being hit in the back of the head by Byakuya.

"Idiot, I only let you and Yuu-chan call me that," she said, growling at the information he told the two.

"Yeah yeah. Anyways, the reason I trust you two with these ladies is because Yuu-chan is carrying something extremely rare on her. Anyways, since my mission in rescuing these ladies is done, I'm heading back to Konoha." Walking away, he looked over his shoulder. "Oh yeah, one last thing…watch out for Bya-chan's right hook. It can literally blow you away. See ya," he said waving his hand in a lazy goodbye, not seeing the blush of embarrassment on Byakuya's cheeks.

* * *

"All right everyone up." Haku stated, as the two adults, one in a tent and one leaning against a tree. Ever since the four became a small group, this was the sleeping arrangements. Yugito, Haku or both would wake up early and make breakfast, sometimes as simple and quick as fish, or if they had time to get supplies, something as complex and good as bacon, sausage or other quick and good homemade breakfasts, sometimes even Byakuya's favorites: sticky buns.

At first, Haku was the chef and made quick meals for both Zabuza and herself. At first, she also made the meals for the other two girls in the group. However, it was a surprise when Yugito asked if she could cook one day. Grinning, Haku gladly allowed the younger girl to cook. Over time, the two girls became closer, and now they were sisters in all but blood.

"We're up. Something smells good Haku," Zabuza said as he sat up, working out the kinks in his body from the way he slept. However, before grabbing whatever breakfast was, he was instantly alert, his hands already moving through the hand seals for his legendary Kirigakure no Jutsu.

That was another thing that Yugito and Byakuya had to get use to, Zabuza's use of the Hidden Mist Jutsu and while they weren't as proficient fighting in it as Zabuza and Haku were, but they could easily move within it.

"Have you come for business or have you come to greet your grave?" Zabuza asked from within the mist, using a genjutsu to throw his voice around from everywhere inside the area.

"I've come with a business preposition for the four of you. I need some shinobi, but I need them to not ask questions or bitch about missions and whatnot. I'll pay you of course, I just want everything…" the man started before Zabuza cut in, hearing it all before.

"Under the books, correct?"

"Correct. What do you say Zabuza, Demon of the Mist?"

"I say you have yourself a deal."

"If that's the case then…Taki, Kai take the two Kumo wenches!" The man said as two shinobi appeared _almost out of nowhere…_Zabuza thought to himself in surprise. No one was able to mask their chakra completely, except for two people but they were in Konoha. It happened so fast that neither Haku nor Zabuza could react to the two shinobi abducting the two women that were put under Zabuza's protection.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Zabuza asked in fury, his sword ready to attack the person who double-crossed them. Canceling the jutsu of mist, Zabuza noticed the old man in front of them in a business suit. Glaring at the old man dangerously, he should have known that Gatou would be the one who would hire them.

"This is insurance. I want to make sure that you don't think of double crossing me or try backstabbing me when you first get the chance to do so. Now then, there's this person that I'm having trouble with. He was able to get out of my sight and is most likely heading to Konoha to recruit some fine shinobi to help him overthrow the power I have. I want you to do me the favor of killing this man and any bodyguards that he has protecting him."

"And if I do this, you will let the two go?"

"You have my written word," the manipulative man said before grinning as he heard the words of acceptance that he'll do the mission, ignoring the females behind him. Once he left, Zabuza growled before picking up his sword and swinging it towards the nearest tree. Due to the amount of power, strength and anger thrown into that strike, the tree soon collapsed.

"Zabuza-sensei?"

"Pack everything up Haku, we're heading out." He quickly replied, tossing the girl a scroll to which she should seal everything within. Once that was done, Haku put the scroll inside her pouch pocket and hurried to catch up with the swordsman.

"Um…Zabuza-sensei, what are we going to tell Ark if we see him again?" Haku asked as Zabuza stopped for a second before slightly paling at the thought of what that man would do.

"I don't know, but it will probably hurt like a bitch…_and I'll deserve it too, for being such an idiot._ He thought to himself as he looked towards his partner. _She surely has grown from the time when she killed her father…_he thought to himself as she finished packing and sealing everything. It was time to move. Nami no Kuni was their next destination.  
_

* * *

  
_

Dragon and Sword Master: It's finally done!

Ryu: Remember your promise though.

Dragon and Sword Master: I know, I know. Now, the readers might have to go back, but remember Ark's mission that he returned from? That was it. Now then, yes I made Byakuya a female and no, she will not have Senbonzakura; however, Ark made a reference to her right hook.

Phoenix and Staff Master: So why did you introduce Zabuza and Haku so early?

Dragon and Sword Master: Not only does it set up the Wave Arc, but it also helps make Zabuza and Haku look good and were fooled by bad circumstances. They've been on the run for x amount of time, so any missions they can get they take. I wouldn't call it gullible or naiveness but something else in all truth of the matter. Once again, I am sorry for not being able to update for the last couple of months, but I got passing grades so my parents aren't bitching at me, finally!


	6. Eye of the Storm

Dragon and Sword Master: Well…I am a little disappointed in people these days. It seems like no one seems to review nowadays…I only received seven reviews for the last chapter, and while that may seem like a lot, the amount of favorite stories and story alert list e-mails I got vastly blew the proportion out of the water. I know I'm probably asking a lot from you, my readers, but can you please take a few minutes after reading the story (for new people just finishing all six chapters) or the chapter (for the millions (and millions)) of people who have read the story and added it to their favorite story/story alert lists) that's all I ask.

I'm also surprised that no one remarked about the ingenuity of Naruto using the Harem no jutsu on Kakashi to get one of the bells in their reviews. *shrugs* Anyways, moving on… for those of you that do review, I am sorry that you had to listen to/read my rant, but it's starting to get ridiculous and I felt that I had to retort in some way.

Now then, due to the seriousness of my author's note and no funny banter this time around, sorry guys. I promise to make it up to you with an omake at the end of the chapter.

_Blah _Naruto thinking/Card talking

BlahHosaki talking

_Blah_ Hosaki thinking

* * *

Eye of the Storm

"Alright then, now that we have officially become a team, I need to register Team Seven as an official team with the Hokage. Tomorrow, we will start on missions but you three have the rest of the day off. Expect a day of pain tomorrow though," Kakashi said.

"You just want to read your porn, don't you senpai?" Ark asked innocently, but Kakashi just shook his head.

"For once, I have something other to do than read my literature today. I have to make sure everything is legitimate with our team Ark-kouhai," Kakashi said before vanishing in a poof of smoke.

Shrugging, he placed his guns back in their holsters before turning to Naruto and the rest of the team. "Well then, since Kakashi-senpai has 'official business' to do, you guys up for some lunch? My treat," Ark said as Naruto and Sakura shrugged, having nothing better to do and responded with a sure.

"No thanks, I have other stuff to do," Sasuke said as he turned around, walking away from the team.

"Translating to 'I'm going to ignore the team in order to do some extra training for no apparent reason with my brother'," Ark replied nonchalantly, causing Sasuke to clench his fists in anger. Calming himself down, Sasuke replied that his father wanted to tell him something important dealing with the clan.

"Right right, whatever you say Duckbutt," Ark said, waving him away as if he said anything of great importance, getting a laugh from the young blonde, before the three of them headed to a restaurant. When they got there, Naruto noticed all of the looks that Ark was getting. "Don't worry about it Naruto, come on, let's get something to eat." Ark said, correctly assuming that Naruto was thinking they were glaring at Ark because he was friends with the "demon spawn" and the "demon whore".

"But…" Naruto started to say before Ark sighed.

"Listen Naruto, the villagers may hate you because of the fox, but Kakashi-senpai and I don't. Sakura-chan doesn't mind either. As long as your family and friends don't care, then it doesn't matter what the sheep think of you or Sakura-chan for that matter. Now then, come on, let's go." Ark said before pushing the two inside.

If only Naruto knew it was him that they were staring at instead of the young blonde that just walked inside. Sometimes fame is good…and sometimes it is not.

* * *

Kakashi headed into the Hokage Tower, for once on time. Walking up the stairs and waving to the secretary at the desk, the secretary waved him inside, glaring at the orange book in his hand. Heading into the inner sanctum of the Hokage's office, Kakashi felt a small amount of killer intent coming from the freshly new Jounin in the office.

"Kakashi, can you please put that damnable book away?" the female asked, barely containing her anger.

"What's wrong with my choice of literature, Kurenai-chan?" Kakashi asked rhetorically, getting a rise out of the female Jounin once again. She was attempted to hit him and so close in doing it. She would have succeeded if it weren't for the other male Jounin in the room holding her back.

"Kurenai-chan, calm down. Kakashi-kun, stop antagonizing your comrade in arms or I'll ask my son to let go of her," the Hokage said, causing Kakashi to slightly pale. The wrath of any woman was not something to take lightly, especially when that woman could kill you as well as screw with your senses in the blink of an eye.

"Understood Hokage-sama," Kakashi said before placing the book in his hip pocket, allowing order to be restored between everyone present.

"Now then, each of you had an experimental Genin squad. After testing these experimental squads, what are your findings?" the Hokage asked, waiting for each Jounin to give their assessment on the new Genin.

"Leader of experimental team 10, Sarutobi Asuma, and my conclusion is that this experimental team is a success. I pass Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji and will take them on as a full time Genin Squad," Asuma said as the Hokage nodded in approval. Once he stepped back, Kurenai stepped up.

"Leader of experimental team 8, Yuhi Kurenai, and my conclusion is that this experimental team is a success. I pass Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzaka Kiba, and Abarane Shino and will gladly take them on as a full time Genin Squad," Kurenai said as Hokage grinned. Hiashi would be glad that his daughter passed…hopefully.

Stepping back, Kurenai looked towards the last Jounin who had three experimental Genin, Kakashi. The Hokage silently sighed before waiting for Kakashi to go. Kakashi grinned to himself, knowing that someone was pleasantly going to win a bet. "Hatake Kakashi, leader of experiment Team Seven, and with my own observations, I say that Genins Uzumaki Naruto, Kinomoto Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke will prosper under me and my colleague Tenjin-san. Team Seven," and at this he paused for dramatic suspense, "passes." Kakashi said as Kurenai grinned and Asuma looked on in horror. He was sure that Kurenai was going to owe him that one week's pay check after telling her that Kakashi never took a team, but there would be a first time for everything. If only it didn't have to include his paycheck.

"Alright then, now that that is taken care of, let's move onto more important things," Sarutobi said as he lit his pipe as the other three nodded. It would be a long day for all four of them. Kakashi sighed before thinking that Ark was lucky that he didn't have to deal with the paperwork and everything else like they did…lucky bastard.

* * *

Sasuke walked into the Uchiha District with a grin on his face and why wouldn't he be happy? His team had just passed the crazy test that his sensei put them up with. This was as good as completing the Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique). Heading to the Main House, Sasuke knocked on his father's door and waited for his father to grant him access.

"Enter" Fugaku said and Sasuke opened the door, silently closing it behind him. Looking up at his youngest son, he noticed a grin on Sasuke's face. Apparently, the boy had some good news to tell him. Waiting for the boy to talk, he laced his fingers together and placed his head on top of them.

"Father, I became a Genin today," Sasuke said with pride in his voice. However, Fugaku looked on as if he didn't hear him. Sasuke went to repeat himself before his father held up a hand.

"It is quite an achievement, Sasuke, but you still have a long way to go. Don't forget that," he said as he went back to his paperwork, missing the scowl that found its way on Sasuke's face before he turned around and exited his father's study.

_You have potential Sasuke, but you need to unlock that potential for yourself. For that…I cannot hold your hand_ Fugaku thought to himself before picking up his quill and started reading over documents and papers. Being the head of the clan was a good thing, but sometimes it could also be bad…

_Oh crap, I forgot to tell Sasuke what I needed to tell him! _Fugaku frantically thought to himself. Sighing in regret, he went back to his paperwork, the information could wait. Getting up from his desk, he left the study, knowing that the council wanted to discuss something with him. What that was he did not know and was going to find out.

* * *

After leaving his father's study, Sasuke wanted to stomp to his room, but he knew that would be counterproductive, so instead he headed to the training area to work on some katas. Heading to where the wooden dummies were, he bumped into his cousin.

"Oomph," came out of both Gabrella and Sasuke's mouths. After the apologies from both parties were given and taken, Gabrella asked her cousin what got him so pissed off. When he told Gabrella what happened she giggled at him. Seeing his anger returned, she apologized.

"So, who's on your team Sasuke-kun?" she asked with genuine curiosity as a small scowl made it onto to his face. Laughing at this, he growled.

"Do you want to know or not?"

"Sorry…"

"It's all right. Anyways I was going to tell father, but since he doesn't care and you do…my teammates are the dobe of my class, Uzumaki Naruto, and Kinomoto Sakura," he said before stopping. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, keep going," Gabrella said quickly, not understanding what just happened when he mentioned Sakura's name. It was as if someone was telling her of a future mission that she received, yet didn't know any of the details.

Raising his eyebrow seeing that he didn't believe her for one second, he continued. "Of course, I am the third member. This is where it gets weird. Our true sensei is Hatake Kakashi, but we also have a second sensei, Tenjin Areku…" he said as Gabrella felt that same strange feeling again before seeing a man behind Sasuke.

"What did I tell you about saying my true name duckbutt?" he said as the two jumped in surprise and shock. Turning around, Sasuke looked at the grinning Ark.

"Hhhhow?" Sasuke sputtered, causing Ark to chuckle at Sasuke's antics. Looking at Gabi, he noticed a glazed over look and sighed. He'd have to talk to her about it later.

"To answer your question, duckbutt, it's a trade secret. So sorry to disappoint you, your highness," he said, annoying Sasuke to no end. Becoming serious, he asked for her name and got it, seeing as how serious Ark was.

After that, he disappeared, telling Sasuke this time was a warning. Next time, he wouldn't get off so easily. However, as he left, a bullet found its way where Ark was and when Sasuke picked it up, Ark's voice echoed, seemingly from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

"Also, be ready for your first mission tomorrow duckbutt." Ark's laugher would be heard by Sasuke throughout the Uchiha halls till the very next day...

* * *

Kakashi stepped out of the tower with his orange book in hand and a mission scroll in his vest pocket. If there was one good thing about retiring from being an ANBU captain, then it was the fact that he did not have to do the amount of paperwork that he always had to do after a mission.

Unfortunately, that also meant he had to take D-ranks for his team and couldn't go on any missions by himself. Of course, he could always just have his team do the mission by themselves, but then again, he had a feeling that he'd miss something interesting in the long run. Knowing that in trusting his instinct over the years, he'd probably help his team in what was going to happen. Of course, that was after he found the Genins that made up Team Seven. Deciding that it was better to walk than Shushin, Kakashi moved his two feet in the general direction of where he held the bell test just a few hours ago. Seeing that no one was there he stood in front of the plaque for shinobi and kunoichi that fell in battle before putting his book away and started talking to the one person that changed his personality for the better, or worse depending on how you looked at it.

Kakashi thought to himself before picking the appropriate words to tell Obito. His greatest mistake was to never apologize for his actions when it came to that fatal mission. Moving his hand to the eye covered in phantom pain, Kakashi started to speak.

"Hey Obito, it's been a while I know. You're probably not bothered by it, but I still thought you deserve an apology, especially since I didn't give you one before…" he stopped for a moment in order to collect himself. After doing so, he continued. "Anyways, you know I quit ANBU, right? Well, I don't think I ever told you the reason and I'm sorry to say this, but Rin-chan asked to leave Konoha and it was granted to her. I couldn't keep our last promise…I'm extremely sorry Obito-kun. I'll try to find her if I can, but I can't make any promises because…I have a Genin squad right now. The scary thing is that the three of them are so much like the three of us once were. You would have liked Naruto…" he said before someone else came into the proximity.

"Kakashi-senpai, why do you keep beating yourself up over his death? I know it was in the past and not much of the details, but I don't think Obito-kun would want you to keep living with your faults. We all make mistakes senpai; it's what separates us from being ruthless killers and humans. You've lived with this burden for far too long…"

Sighing, he turned to see the gunslinger looking at the stone himself, before finding a name he remembered well. "Don't forget that you're in the present Kakashi. You need to remember the past and live for the future lest you be forgotten with the past."

Nodding at that, Kakashi looked back at the stone, halfway listening to Ark say that they should get going. Staring a few more minutes at the plaque, both Kakashi and Ark left only leaving a small bit of smoke and leaves as well as a quickly forming puddle in their wake.

* * *

Naruto was by himself, Sakura doing some endurance training with her brother. Making sure that he was far away from the village, Naruto focused on his chakra. Noticing that he was trying to access her chakra, Hosaki asked him what he was trying to do out of curiosity.

_I want to try something. _Naruto replied, being as vague as possible. When asked to expand on it, he replied that it was a surprise and for her to be patient. Ignoring her protests, he concentrated on the feeling he felt when he got the red chakra from before. When he felt that the red chakra was coming through, he put hands in the cross seal for his favorite jutsu.

* * *

(Author's Note: for some reason there is a line break here that is not needed. This is the same scene as from above and after Kakashi and Ark left the Funeral plaque)

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"he shouted as a single clone came out. Blinking slowly, the clone looked around before using a clothed version of the Oiruke no Jutsu, adding in a pair of fox ears and four fox tails, the maximum amount that she could draw with the amount of chakra he used with the clone.

**…Naruto?** She asked, feeling true air rush into her lungs as she did so after being trapped in a seal for twelve years. Reacting to his name, Hosaki next asked him if she was dreaming. When he replied that he wasn't, Naruto found himself being enveloped in a hug courtesy of the fox. After a few minutes, Hosaki let him go, thanking him. She wanted to continue thanking him, but she had an image to uphold, at least somewhat of an image.

**I'm surprised you thought of this kit…**she said; touched at the thoughtfulness of Naruto, not realizing what she called him. Luckily, neither did Naruto. **Although it was dangerous, if we were any closer to the village, ANBU and the Hokage would have come here to investigate.** She told him, a serious look on her face.

Looking down at his feet in shame, he mumbled something, and only because of her extreme hearing was she able to hear the apology.

**Naru-chan, its okay; you realized that it would cause problems if you did it near the village. I just wanted you to know of the dangers, **Naruto looked up with a surprise on his face.

"You're not mad?"

**"Not at all. In fact, I'm extremely happy with you Naru-chan**," she said, grinning the whole time with giddiness. She hadn't felt the grass on her feet in such a long time, nor had she breathed in the air. Naruto laughed at how she was acting and told her to go ahead and explore, but to be careful, especially since a clone wasn't the best body to travel around in afterall…

A few hours later, Hosaki came back looking a little exhausted, but still felt the sheer giddiness of the world interacting with her senses and her senses were interacting with the world around her. Naruto laughed for a few minutes while thinking that if he told anyone that the "big bad Kyuubi no Kitsune" was a lovable and exciting female, especially acting like this, then anyone would laugh at him, jinchuuriki or not.

Laughing at her acting like a child, she half-heartedly glared at her jailor before flopping down on the ground, her tails wildly branching around her. Correcting herself, she slowly got herself into a sitting position.

"I take it you like this?" Naruto asked as Hosaki nodded. "Good, I was hoping you would," he continued, grinning. Hosaki patted the ground next to him and he took the invitation, sitting down next to the demon fox queen. When he did, Hosaki draped a few tails over the blonde.

**Naru-chan, thank you…for everything. I don't deserve all this…**

"Yes you do."

Slowly standing up, Hosaki thought for a few moments before coming to a conclusion. **Naruto, you remember when you first did the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, right? How you were extremely mad and used some of my chakra?**

"You mean the red chakra?" Naruto asked as Hosaki nodded. Looking confused, Hosaki explained her plans on how she was going to teach him how to use her demonic chakra to his advantage. Excited to start training with this quickly, Hosaki laughed before sadly saying that the Kage Bunshin he created was about to loose control of the red chakra within him. Looking confused, Hosaki explained on how demonic chakra is poisonous to humans and how human-like chakra from a jinchuuriki could only control demonic chakra or youki for so long before loosing control and going into immense pain before disappearing. Sighing, Naruto dispelled the body, as Hosaki's soul went back into the seal.

Make sure to come back here later on, this way I can train you in not only my chakra, but also my demonic techniques.

_You have your own jutsus, but I thought demons didn't use jutsus…_

**In our true form, that would be true. We just use our element to cause mass damage. Think about it, if a huge demon could use jutsu…**

_I see…thanks Saki-chan, for everything._

**Using my own words against me now?** She asked, grinning to show that she was just teasing. Nodding, Naruto burned this area into his mind for later and headed for home. Yawning, he started the trek that would lead him back to home. Tomorrow would be an eventful day, an eventful one indeed.

* * *

Naruto was peacefully sleeping when he heard someone enter the room. Quietly and quickly going on alert, he noticed that it was just Sakura. Calming down just a little, right before she was next to him…

"Whatever you were about to do to wake me, don't bother, I'm up," Naruto said, causing Sakura to jump back a bit. Naruto knew it was Sakura, and they did this whenever she found him sleeping in a playground or hidden behind leaves in a hope of not being found by his tormentors. Usually it was just a shake of the shoulder or something similar, but she never dared calling his name out. Doing that would certainly spell doom for her blonde friend.

"Sakura-chan, you still with me? I need to shower and get dressed. I can't do that if you're in here," Naruto said, breaking Sakura out of her trance and blushing heavily.

"Gomenasai," she said before leaving, closing the door behind her. Chuckling at what happened, he grinned, also remembering the past. Sighing, he put on a set of boxers and grabbed a set of clothes before heading to the bathroom. Setting the clothes on the shelf nearby, he turned the water on. Keeping the water cold, Naruto took a while in the shower before turning it off, drying off and getting dressed in what he deemed would be his usual ninja outfit (the way I described Syaoran) and headed downstairs to where Sakura was waiting for him at the door.

"I don't get a chance to eat?"

"Sorry, but Ark-sensei said that he'd make sure to bring Kakashi-sensei with him on time today, something about an unbeatable plan or something like that. Kakashi said eight a.m. and it's almost that time already. Come on Naru-chan, let's go."

"Alright…" Naruto replied, grabbing an apple and heading off, catching up with his friend and teammate. A few minutes later, both Ark and Kakashi appeared with a grin on their faces. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura looked at their two senseis with apprehension on their faces.

"First off, let's start off with a few D-rank missions," Kakashi said before taking a scroll out of one of his vest pockets. Opening it up, he explained that their mission was a simple D-rank of collecting trash inside the park. Ark withheld a chuckle from the looks that the three displayed on their faces.

"Come on now, were you expecting to get the flashy missions that make us legendary and mythical to civilian towns right off the get go?" Ark asked as the trio nodded. Sighing, he turned around. "Maybe in a few weeks we'll get you a higher rank mission…if you're good and do exactly what we say," and as he said this, an unexplained shiver went up his spine. Looking in the direction of where his last mission was, he hoped that the two females were alright. He knew Zabuza could be an annoying person and how Haku still stayed a sweet and innocent girl still baffled even him.

A few weeks later and several D rank missions later, along with a grueling training workout with the two, the three Genin were starting to get annoyed at the fact that they were still doing chores for people who were to damn lazy to do them themselves instead of better missions.

Heading to the Hokage Tower, Ark and Kakashi both promised that after today's D-rank mission, they would ask for a low C-rank mission. Climbing the stairs, they hear a loud scream and a cat hissing as it passed through the window. Ark and Kakashi looked at each other before sharing a quick nod at each other, silently agreeing to help capture that damnable cat.

Opening up the door, the team sighed before seeing a fat lady. "Tora-chan!" the woman called out as the cat ran past the team that just entered the door, wincing at the loud volume of the woman. They were surprised that none of the glass broke at her pitch.

"Ah your team came in at just the right moment. I have a D-rank mission for you with your name on it," the Hokage commented before Kakashi sighed.

"You want us to retrieve Tora, correct?"

"Right. You don't mind taking this mission, do you Kakashi?" the Hokage asked as Kakashi shook his head in the negative, knowing that it would be given to them anyways. As they turned around and headed out of the tower, Naruto tried getting Kakashi's attention.

"I can't do this mission Kakashi-sensei; bad things will happen if I interact with a cat." Naruto said, but Kakashi just turned around and kept walking.

"Sorry Naruto, but you don't have a choice, not when you're a Genin. When you're older and stronger then you can choose which mission you want to take. Until that time, you have to deal with the missions I or Ark decides to take." Kakashi said with an air of finality as his eye turned upwards in its way of mirth and happiness. All Naruto could do was scowl.

"Alright, but just to let you know, whatever happens, I'm not responsible for it," Naruto said with a sense of foreboding. Kakashi was intrigued at this and asked Naruto to explain what he meant. However, Naruto wasn't willing to give up any additional information.

_Guess I'll just have to see what he means and remember it as blackmail if it's extremely embarrassing_ Kakashi thought to himself as he fished out his orange book from his flak jacket and flipped it open to the page and took out the bookmark.

_This mission would not go well …_Naruto thought to himself as he heard a giggle from Kakashi, as Ark sighed before passing out some walkie-talkies, sighing at Kakashi's vice.

* * *

Yugito slowly started waking up, groaning as she did so. She was going to kill those bastards when she got the chance. She tried sitting up, but winced in pain when she did so. Trying to channel chakra to heal her body, the only thing she felt was more pain. Quickly canceling that activity, she looked around and only saw stone and iron. She didn't see Byakuya anywhere in sight, and she hoped her mother-like figure was alright. She was thrown out of her thoughts when the door opened.

"If I come back and see this full, I'll be giving it to one of the other prisoners you bitch. You're lucky that you get food while in the…service of Gatou Enterprises." The guard said, laying the food down in front of the tired and battered girl. "Oh, and if you haven't figured it out yet, that lovely accessory strapped to your chest is a chakra suppressor. I wouldn't try molding any chakra if I were you, of course, knowing your kind, you probably would have already found out about the consequences…" he started to say before seeing Yugito glare at the man. Not liking it, he slapped her across the face, adding another bruise to her body. The man then left, closing the door behind him. The door automatically locked itself.

Growling, she started to unconsciously gather chakra to her, causing the suppressor to act up again, causing electricity to course through her body. It didn't hurt as much thanks to her affinity with lightning, but it still created an ache to her body. At the sight of the food, Yugito's stomach started growling, causing the female to blush. However, even if she did use chakra to test the food for poison and what not, she wouldn't eat the food. It would symbolize that she already gave up.

**Ten…you…me?** (Kitten, can you hear me?)

_Faintly…_Yugito responded, not getting a response from the cat inside her head. Sighing to herself, she looked down at what the problem was. Looking down at the offending metal, she started to think of ways to destroy the machine. Coming up with only a few solutions, she sighed to herself. This was going to hurt. Focusing on her chakra, she separated it from her demonic chakra and started channeling it straight into the chakra suppresser. Hearing it break, she groaned in pleasure as her chakra came back to her.

**Kitten! Are you okay?**

_I'm fine. Just a little hungry and before you suggest anything, I am NOT eating that slop they gave me._

**Good. I'd hurt you if you did. Now then, how are we going to get out?**

_I have an idea, but I need to weaken my chakra first and wait for that bastard to return. _She thought to the cat demon inside her head before cutting off connections to her, knowing that she wouldn't like the plan one bit. Waiting until the guard came back, Yugito cast a genjutsu around herself to make it seem like she was still wearing the inhibiting device. Seeing the guard/jailor came back, he saw her standing there and that the food had not been touched. Focusing chakra to the area where the genjutsu was laid, Yugito was smacked across the face.

"You bitch! Gatou-sama provided you and that whore free food and this is how you repay us?! I ought to take her food away from her as well you…" he never got to finish his rant because soon after, Yugito let go of the genjutsu, before tripping the guy and punching him in the face. Not only was the man untrained for a quick attack, he also put his guard down because of the fact she had a chakra inhibitor on…or did have one on. Running through the halls, Yugito heard her feet slapping the floor as she ran through the halls, checking behind her every few seconds. Hearing a second set of footsteps soon after, she stopped and turned around, shifting her balance of gravity into a defensive stance.

"Yuu-chan, thank goodness!" a female voice said, causing Yugito to grin and get out of her stance. It was only Byakuya, and with that, Yugito grinned and hugged the older woman.

Giggling, Byakuya responded that she missed the girl as well and returned the hug. "As much as I'm glad to see you mostly unharmed Yuu-chan, we need to get out of here. I assume you haven't eaten that much so we'll jog until we get to the exit and then rush past there. Hopefully we won't run into anyone on our way."

"Understood," Yugito replied after letting the older woman go, a small growling coming from her stomach. Blushing, Byakuya grinned at that. Even though they were both hungry, neither one of them ate anything from the plate of trash that was given to them. Jogging at a brisk pace, the two females were lucky that they didn't see any other guards.

Getting outside of the building, they noticed that lightning clouds were starting to flash, the sounds of thunder going off in the distance. As they neared the exit of the compound, Byakuya stopped in fear.

"You're dead; I saw your corpse with my own eyes!" Byakuya shouted in fear as a man stepped out of the shadows, another man standing next to the person who spoke.

"Apparently, you and that bastard thought wrong Bya-chan," the man with the glasses said, pushing them up while speaking. Byakuya narrowed her eyes at the thought of what this all meant. Either he was going to help the two of them get out, or, and this was more likely, make this extremely more difficult for the both of them to escape.

Lightning flashed nearby, a bolt coming down directly next to the man that was standing behind the person that was talking. However, he seemed to be absorbing the bolt of lightning into himself.

"Bya-chan, please don't make this hard on yourself or the young girl behind you. If you stay here, I'll let the young girl go," the man with sunglasses spoke up once again, causing Byakuya to look at him with confusion.

"Aren't you working for Gatou?" she asked as the man shrugged and replied that he was only helping him as long as his goals were similar. Sighing at this information, she thought as to what to do. On the one hand, she could surrender to him and allow Yugito to escape and get Ark to help rescue her. However, she could also choose to fight. That option, however, would be limited seeing as how her stamina was shot to hell right now and she could only do so much with the limited chakra she had left. In addition, she didn't know what would happen to Yugito if she opted to fight as well.

"Bya-chan, I need your decision."

"If I surrender, I have your word that you'll let Yuu-chan go?"

"Of course. She doesn't matter to me anyways," he said, causing Yugito to get angry at that comment. Byakuya put a hand on her shoulder, calming her immediately. Looking towards her, Yugito gasped in surprise as she stepped away from her and headed to the mysterious duo.

"Bya-chan, don't do it!" Yugito shouted as she ran after her. When she caught up to her and tried shaking her to get out of whatever she was thinking of doing, Byakuya just ignored her. "Please stop Bya-chan, please!" Yugito shouted, trying to convince her to fight. What she didn't see were the tears that were slowly falling from Byakuya's face to the ground, mixing with the rain.

Byakuya stopped for a few seconds and turned towards Yugito, kneeling down and hugging the girl one last time. Letting go of the girl, before she rose to her full height, Byakuya whispered in Yugito's ear to give her swords to the gunslinger that saved them. Confused, Yugito was about to ask what she was doing. However, Byakuya ignored her last comment and placed two scrolls in her arms, telling her not to lose those. Pushing her forward, Yugito stumbled a bit, getting the message but not wanting to act on it.

"Go, now! I'll be fine," Byakuya said in a firm tone, a tone that she only spoke to Yugito when she either did something extremely wrong, during training or when she was extremely serious. Silently understanding the message, she headed pass the two men, somehow knowing that they wouldn't harm Byakuya. She didn't know why, she just did. Heading into the forest, she kept running, not trusting either of the two to keep their promise to Byakuya. Getting out of the forest, she bumped into a black-haired woman who was holding a small package of groceries.

"I'm sorry miss; I wasn't looking where I was going…" Yugito started to say before she started helping pick up some of the loose groceries.

"Thank you child," the black-haired woman said, noticing the rags that Yugito was wearing. However, the girl held herself different than the civilian children that were in a similar situation to the girl standing in front of her. In addition, she had two scrolls in her arms. She didn't know much about shinobi, but she did know that some shinobi held several things in those small pieces of paper. "If you don't mind me asking, are you a female shinobi?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer that…" Yugito started to say before she felt weak, the adrenaline from before starting to slowly wear itself down. Before she could do or say anything else, Yugito fainted in the middle of the road, right in front of the lady she bumped into.

**Kitten!**

_Please…just let me rest, _were Yugito's final thoughts as she went completely unconscious.

* * *

Dragon and Sword Master: I am a little disturbed at what some people say on the forums concerning Hinata's death. Now then, I am not a pro-Naruto/Hinata (as you can see by this story and my other Naruto stories) but that doesn't mean I don't like reading a good Naruto/Hinata story. However, with that being said…I honestly hope Hinata is dead. Why? She has done nothing in the story, nor has she any major character development from part 1 to part 2 except for the battle against Neji during the Chunin Exams. (This is with manga only, not anime fillers.)

Secondly, a great author by the pen name of Psycho G in his latest chapter of "Neo Yondaime Hokage" has a great rant about the fact that everyone is moaning about how "honorable" and "high and mighty" Hinata's death was and I highly suggest you read the rant at the bottom of his latest chapter. (You can read the story if you want, but you don't have to.)

In addition, don't forget to review. Feedback is what tells me what I'm doing right or wrong as well as helps give me motivation for writing the next chapter. I'm not turning into a review Nazi or anything like that but…yeah. Anyways, your Omake as promised in the opening Author Notes.

Omake:

"How does he keep doing that?" one of the councilwomen asked as she scowled once again.

"What do you mean?" another member asked, looking at her comrade.

"How Areku Tenjin always…"

"Always hears his name even though he's halfway across fire country or Konoha?" Ark asked as he appeared between the two members of Konoha's council.

"Yeah…that, wait what?!" the female exclaimed before getting a grin from the gunslinger causing a scowl to appear on the woman's face.

"Well, duty calls. I'll be seeing you wonderful ladies later," he said before disappearing in his usual frost-like manner. Heading back to his training grounds, Ark lost himself in training, until he heard his full name spoken again. Disappearing in a blue flash of fire, Ark appeared inside Anko's apartment.

_Sometimes I don't wanna know…and Bya-chan is probably going to kill me for this. _The gunslinger thought as the snake mistress started waking up. As she yawned and kicked off the covers, Ark saw that Anko was only wearing a rather flimsy nightgown and that he could see everything right through it.

_Crap…_


	7. Out of the Fire, Into the Waves

Dragon and Sword Master: YOSH! A NEW CHAPTER HAS BEGUN! *is hit by several random objects*

Sakura: *killer intent* no Rock Lee impersonations until the Chunin Exams!

Dragon and Sword Master: *scared* Yes ma'am

All females: *praise Sakura for shutting up Dragon and Sword Master*

Dragon and Sword Master: *anime tears* let's just start the chapter before my flames of youth dampen considerably…

Yugito: What did we say about that?

Dragon and Sword Master: fine, ruin my fun. I work all through spring break except for one day and this is the thanks I get? Hmph.

Yugito: …sorry Dragon-kun. We didn't know that your life was so chaotic at times

Dragon and Sword Master: Apology accepted Yuu-chan, now then…

Lee: ON TO THE CHAPTER!

Dragon and Sword Master: *sighs* on a related note, Hikaru is taken from Magic Knight Rayearth. Furthermore, I'm probably taking the Cat Fist style (Nekoken) way out of proportion, but I have read Ranma ½ and I have never seen Naruto with a fear of cats or the cat fist style, so why not?

Haku: Plus, it seems as if the method behind the Nekoken is something that the villagers would do to Naruto, as sad as it may be said.

Yugito and Dragon and Sword Master: *pales*

Dragon and Sword Master: While the story, "The Six Paths of Creation" by HistorianoftheKais is a good story, I just read something horrible that makes me want to add to the end of the chapter for relief of my own mind. I won't spoil it for people who haven't read it yet, but if you do, prepared to be shocked at the end of chapter 5.

_Blah _Naruto thinking/Card talking

**Blah**Hosaki/Hikaru talking

_**Blah**_ Hosaki/Hikaru thinking

* * *

Out of the Fire, Into the Waves

An anthromorphic feline was pacing back and forth, worry accented all over her face, as her orange-red fur swished back and forth with every movement she did. Every few minutes, she looked over to a king-sized bed made out of mahogany wood and, more importantly, the female who was laying there. Ever since Yugito fainted, the two-tailed demon cat was making sure nothing happened to her spiritual body.

Hikaru was thinking about the past as well while pacing. Ever since Byakuya and Areku, or Ark as the man called himself, saved the two from the hellhole that was Kumogakure, Yugito grew in leaps and bounds. Not only because of what Byakuya taught her in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, but the demon cat also trained her as well whenever she could.

The Neko was brought back to the present when she heard a moan come from the bed and as soon as she heard it, she was quickly at the side of the bed.

"_Hi…Karu-kaa-san?_" Yugito asked as she slowly woke up, pain still evident on her face as she tried sitting up.

"**I wouldn't do that just yet kitten, you're still recovering from chakra exhaustion and malnutrition. I'm helping as best as I can but…**" Hikaru said as Yugito shook her head.

_You've done enough Karu-kaa-san. _She told her bijuu as she sighed, yawning. _I just woke up, why am I yawning?_

**It's because your mind was still active while your body wasn't. Go back to sleep kitten, I'll make sure nothing happens.**

_What about my real body? What happened after I fainted in front of that woman?_

**She took some rope and tied her groceries to her back and then picked your body up. Your outer body is currently lying on a bed; now then, don't forget to thank her after I'm done healing you and eat anything she makes, alright?**

_Yes mom…_she said sarcastically, before lying back down in the bed and soon fell back asleep, missing Hikaru rolling her eyes. Before falling completely asleep, the last thing she said to the demon cat was thank you. Hearing this, Hikaru grinned.

_**If only Fuu-chan and Umi-chan could see me now…**_she thought to herself before curling up next to Yugito, making sure that she was warm and content as possible before falling asleep herself.

* * *

"What's your position?" Kakashi asked into his earpiece as everyone responded with various distances. Thinking of a plan, he quickly asked if Sakura could use the Loop Card. Sakura said that she couldn't, saying that it was a higher level card than the ones she was use to using and if she didn't have complete mastery over a card, then the card could, and most likely would, backfire on the user.

"Well there goes the easy plan, ne Sakura-chan?" Kakashi asked jovially, kind of sad that the first plan he thought of wouldn't be able to work but changed the tone of his voice so that he didn't give himself away. "Alright then, Naruto, you're the closest, get ready to pounce."

"But…"

"Naruto, what did I say before taking this mission? I hate to sound harsh, but I am your superior and on this mission you will follow my orders, understood?"

"…alright, fine. Saku-chan, you might want to be near me soon afterwards," the young blonde said as Sakura agreed to that and pressed the side of her earpiece, seeing a visual of where Naruto was, which was a blonde dot on the radar. _Just don't make a complete fool out of yourself Naruto…_

_Alright, you might as well laugh now Saki-chan. This is going to get ugly…_Naruto thought to the fox inside of him as he tuned out her laughter, or what he thought was laughter before he headed off to meet with the demonic cat named Tora. Seeing the cat in the distance, Naruto felt the changes coming over his body as his fear took over. His mind blanked out as he got on all fours and started hissing and acting like a cat. Tora saw this and was scared at what she was seeing. Therefore, the target ran away from the crazy male who was acting like a cat. However, Naruto didn't let the cat run away and soon gave chase. Little did he know that Kakashi was in that direction and soon after, the gray-haired Jounin had a cat in his hands and an angry cat-boy running after the cat, almost scratching Kakashi in the process, if said Jounin didn't dodge.

_What the hell?_ Kakashi thought to himself as he kept dodging Naruto, who didn't seem to be in his right state of mind, dodging repeatedly. Ark, nearby, was currently laughing at the predicament Kakashi was in. As he kept dodging Naruto, he noticed that every time the boy missed, deep gouges were made into the earth beneath him, as if he was scratching at it with chakra. Unfortunately, that's exactly what Naruto was doing, unconsciously using the same chakra control and technique that Tsunade of the Sannin used to power her punches.

…_so this is what Naruto meant when he said he couldn't do this mission. Maybe I should have listened…_Kakashi thought to himself as he dodged yet another claw strike from the feral boy. If in any other situation, Kakashi would laugh at how strikingly similar this Taijutsu style was to that of the Inuzuka; however, Kakashi couldn't laugh, not if he wanted to keep his life intact. _How long does this last?! _Kakashi thought to himself as he dodged what seemed to be the hundredth claw strike in the past few minutes. Tripping on one of the previous gouges in the land, Kakashi thought he was done for before Naruto suddenly landed on all four feet and turned around, following a certain scent; catnip, held by someone who smelled like Jasmine.

Holding out a piece of catnip was Sakura, annoyed at what she had to do at times, especially since this was all the villagers fault. Even worse was that Naruto didn't remember anything when he returned to normal. Seeing Naruto coming towards her, she sighed, knowing what was about to happen. The boy literally jumped into her lap like any cat would for petting. Usually Sakura had to say something to get Cat Naruto's attention, but this time the catnip led him straight to her.

When Kakashi, Sasuke and Ark found the two like this, Kakashi let out a small chuckle while both Ark and Sasuke had a smirk on their face. This would be perfect blackmail material for later, or it would be if they didn't hear Sakura speak. "Kakashi-sensei, you see now why Naruto-kun didn't want to take this mission. If I hear any of you three use this as blackmail, I will personally tell this lady called 'Anko-chan' that you peeked on her. Now then, head towards the tower, Naruto-kun and I will be there sooner or later," she said, having both Kakashi and Ark pale at the sound of this. Muttering a troublesome, the gunslinger told Sasuke to come along, as the trio made their way towards the Hokage Tower with the cat.

"Well…at least we know it's the right cat. It does have the ribbon on its right ear," Kakashi said slightly as Ark nodded, still chuckling at the scene he recently saw and for a different reason altogether. _I bet Yuu-chan would hate to hear he fears cats though…_he thought to himself as they neared the tower.

Noticing that the cat was gone and he was being petted, Naruto soon calmed down. Noticing that he wasn't wet, he looked up to see that he was sitting in Sakura's lap, yet again. Before he could utter an apology, Sakura shook her head, while fighting away a blush. "You don't have to say anything Naru-kun; I know this is the only way to calm you down once you go into Cat mode."

"But Saku-chan…" Naruto started to say as he removed himself from her lap before seeing the girl shake her head in the negative again. Sighing, he dropped the issue, knowing that Sakura knew what happened whenever he did this. At first she got angry at him, especially since he didn't know what happened afterwards.

"We should get going, otherwise Sasuke and the others will start wondering," Sakura said as Naruto nodded, lending a hand to help Sakura up. Sakura took it and pulled herself up, grinning. "I made sure to tell the others what would happen if they used this as blackmail against you Naru-kun."

"Thanks, but why use Anko-chan? Sasuke-teme knows nothing of her," Naruto asked as Sakura just giggled. When he cocked his head towards her in curiosity, she couldn't help but laugh at how cute Naruto looked.

"He'll ask, and when he finds out just who she is, well then, he'll find out why he shouldn't blackmail you with what just happened. Now then, let's go," she said as she headed off the same way their comrades did. Soon enough, the duo were in front of the Hokage Tower.

"Ah good, the cat boy has returned to the land of the saneness," Ark said while grinning, causing a glare from Sakura and Naruto to find its way towards the adult. Ark shrugged it off. "Oh, by the way, we explained to Sasuke why Anko is a useful threat to most of, if not all, mankind, except maybe me and the blonde beside you." _Especially since Bya-chan can be much worse when she's in one of her moods… _"Anyways, the other two are waiting for the three of us, so let's get going," he added as both Genin nodded their heads and followed the gun-slinger.

Opening the door, the cat in Kakashi's hands started squirming at the sight of its owner, the wife of the Fire Daimyo, also known as Madam Shijimi. As Kakashi handed the cat back to its owner, he found out just why the cat was trying to get away from her. Luckily for the cat, Naruto couldn't see him or he would go on another rampage. When the cat tried getting away from its master, the cat heard an agitated hiss from a male. Assuming that it was the blonde from before and fearing as to what the boy did, the cat stopped what it was doing and allowed it to be cuddled by its master.

"Mission Complete Hokage-sama," Kakashi said while secretly grinning at the cat's predicament. _Especially since I almost died because of you…_Kakashi thought to himself, as Ark silently agreed to the pet's abuse. He liked cats, but that cat had to learn some form of jutsu, either Nin, gen or Tai from all the years it kept running away from its master and being captured by Genin ranked shinobi, him being one of them, especially being scratched by the demonic cat.

"Good job Team Seven. Now then, Kakashi's 7th Unit's next mission is one of the following: babysitting Yojyu-sama's boy, grocery shopping at the neighboring town or helping dig up potatoes at…" At this point, he was interrupted by both Naruto and Sakura.

"Come on Hokage-sama, don't you think we can get a better mission that the ones we have been receiving?"

"Yeah Jiji, what she said. Isn't there some sort of ratio of doing multiple amounts of D-ranks for a low C rank mission?" Naruto asked, surprising Iruka and Sasuke, who both thought that he didn't remember that tidbit of information.

"That may be true, but you three just graduated! Novices at best and everyone need to start out with the easy missions in order to gain experience!" Iruka shouted at both Naruto and Sakura's outbursts.

"But Jiji…" Naruto started to say before getting smacked in the back of the head by Sakura, reprimanding him for not respecting the Hokage. As he fell to the ground, Sarutobi sighed before taking his pipe out of his mouth.

"Naruto," Sarutobi exclaimed, getting the hyperactive blonde's attention before continuing. "I hoped that Rai-kun explained the way missions worked but apparently he didn't. Now then let me explain to you what missions are. A lot of clients come to this village every day and they request things as simple as babysitting or weeding a garden all the way up to assassinations and spying on someone. These requests are taken and given a rank from D all the way up to S, each higher rank being harder than the previous rank before it according to the difficulty of said request. As you know, in this village we separate the people into Hokage, Jounins, Chunins, Genins, and Academy Students according to their abilities. We higher officials assign the missions to shinobi with the appropriate abilities. A Jounin would most likely get an S or A rank mission, a Chunin would most likely receive a B or C rank mission, and rarely will receive an A rank mission and a Genin usually receive D rank missions and sometimes receive C rank missions if their superior deems the three man squad efficient enough for one. In addition, if we complete the mission, the village receives a fee from the client; the higher the rank, the higher the fee paid to the village. All of you have recently become Genin, therefore D-rank missions are the best suited for you. Do you understand Naruto?"

He wanted to pout and turn away, but he didn't. He stood his ground and slowly nodded. "I understand," Naruto said as Sarutobi grinned at the maturity of the boy, before Naruto opened his mouth again, "but I'm not the little boy who used to pull pranks anymore Jiji."

Grinning at the scene, the Hokage thought to himself as to how Naruto matured over the years before coming to a decision. "Alright, I have come to a decision," he said, grinning as he looked at the eager looks on the Genin's faces. "I will allow you to take on a C rank mission. Iruka-kun, if you could, could you get the client for them while I explain their mission?" Sarutobi asked as Iruka nodded, leaving the room to get the client. "Now then, the mission that you've chosen to accept is to escort a certain person. He is a bridge builder and important to Nami no Kuni and he needs assistance back to his home village, I'll warn you three now. It's not as simple as a D-rank mission. You may come into battle with bandits and the like." Sarutobi said before being interrupted by the door opening and Iruka coming in, another man behind him.

"What? They're all kids! How are they supposed to protect a super important person like myself?" The man asked as he took a drink from the jug he brought with him, the contents most likely sake. He had a look of suspicion on him, annoyed that he was going to be under the protection of three brats, who looked as if they just came out of their Academy a few years too early.

As the three listened to the client, they seemed to be put off by the man. The same thought went through all three of the Genin's minds: _We're supposed to protect this guy?_

"Hey, is the smallest one there with the idiotic face really a shinobi?" The man asked, pointing to Naruto. Before Naruto could do anything, Ark put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up at the gunslinger, Ark shook his head, telling him not to let the insult go to his head. Nodding his head at the mature Jounin, Naruto settled for a glare at the man.

"What about the blindfolded shinobi? Can he even be of use to me?" He asked before hearing a small sound and his jug of sake started freezing. As the handle and his hand started to freeze over, the client dropped the jug, shattering as it came in contact with the floor. "I hope that proves I can be of use," Ark said, calmly putting his unique weapon back in its holder, ignoring the fact that the client was shaking his hand, trying to get blood back into the cold appendage.

"Tazuna-san, even if you are a superb bridge-builder, if you insult my shinobi I will attach a fee for harassing them," Sarutobi said, threatening the man, which caused Tazuna to sober up, a little at least. Swearing that he would be good from now on, Sarutobi gave him one last glance before believing that he would.

"Alright then Tazuna-san, we believe you, for now. Now then, Ark and I are Jounin, so if it helps you any, you will be very well protected. While I hate to mention it, both myself and Ark-kouhai have several 'flee on sight' warnings in various bingo books." Kakashi said, getting the three to turn and look at their lazy sensei, all thinking that he was lying. This one statement put Tazuna at ease, letting him breathe slightly easier.

_Mistress…I don't know what it is exactly, but this man is leaving some information out._ Windy said to Sakura as she silently nodded at the information, acknowledging what the card of wind and information said. Another card put his two cents in, saying that it felt the scales of justice were a little unbalanced, leaning towards the evil side. _Thanks for the information Libra-san, Windy-chan,_ she thought back to the cards while standing there. _I wouldn't be surprised if Saki-chan and Naru-kun came to the same conclusion…_she thought to himself as he watched the man more closely, seeing if she could find any evidence that he was lying. Unfortunately, she could not.

"Now then, Team Seven, I want to see you packed and ready to go in one hour. Meet me at the western gates, understood?" Kakashi asked as the three nodded.

"Does that mean you want us there in two hours this time Kakashi-sempai?" Ark asked innocently, causing the others to laugh when Kakashi responded with the fact that he meant one hour. After saying that, they both vanished in their respective shushins, while the other three headed out the door and down the stairs heading to their respective homes and getting ready to pack and head out.

* * *

Yugito slowly woke up, feeling a damp wet cloth on her forehead. She slowly sat up, feeling a little uneasy; she looked around the room in a slight panic before she remembered that she fell unconscious in front of a woman. Relaxing slightly, she stretched, getting the kinks out of her back and ignoring her adopted mother's laughter at the same time. The door opened slightly and Yugito instantly turned towards it.

"Ah good, you're awake kunoichi-san," Tsunami said as she came into the room, returning the bowl of cold water and the damp cloth with both hands.

"How long was I out miss?"

"Let's see, I met you when I was going grocery shopping…that was three days ago kunoichi-san," she replied walking towards the bed. "I'm sorry about the bed; it's the only one we have left. It used to belong to my husband since we couldn't afford a bigger bed…I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Tsunami." Tsunami said, putting the water down on the nightstand near the bed.

"It's alright Tsunami-san," Yugito said, grinning at the politeness of the female who took her in.

"My name is Yugito, Yugito Nii"

"It's nice to meet you Yugito-san." Tsunami replied, glad that she didn't have to ask for her name like she thought she would. The older woman then pulled out two scrolls from her pockets and presented them to Yugito. Yugito looked at her with a puzzling look. "I was going to question you, and depending on your answers, and give these back to you or not, since most shinobi around here work for Gatou. However, I can see that you don't work for that greedy man, so I'll trust you…for now."

"You will?" Yugito asked, curiosity written all over her face as Tsunami nodded. Continuing, she told the older woman that she didn't understand anything that was going on in this small country and as Tsunami explained, Yugito's expression got darker and darker as a scowl appeared on her face. After hearing everything, including the death of her husband just to get the people of the small village to fear Gatou and lose all hope, Yugito was pissed. Sure the old man had her and her guardian kidnapped, but that only annoyed her and to think that a man could be this evil to do something like killing the country's hero…

**Kitten, calm down.** Hikaru said as she felt a small amount of pull of her youki from the girl.

_I'm sorry kaa-san…_Yugito thought as she closed her eyes and started to calm down, the killer intent in the room starting to lessen before leaving altogether. When she opened her eyes, she saw Tsunami breathing heavily. Looking at the older woman sheepishly, she apologized for leaking killer intent like that, and most likely almost killing her.

Blinking for a few moments, Tsunami calmed down her racing heart, especially after she saw the girl glowing with a purple shell of chakra appeared around Yugito at the end of her story, the room becoming dense with a foul stench. "Wh…What was that?"

"I'm sorry Tsunami-san, I got carried away…," Yugito explained, looking down in sadness.

"It's okay Yugito-chan. I'm not surprised that you got angry after hearing my story…" Tsunami said as Yugito yawned, the adrenaline fading from her and the use of youki tiring out the young girl. "Go ahead and get some sleep Yugito-chan, I'll make sure nothing happens while you do."

"Alright…" the young cat-girl stated, closing her eyes, before slowly falling back to sleep. _Maybe I should have waited to tell her about the situation we're in…_Tsunami thought to herself, slowly leaving the room and quietly closing the door behind her.

* * *

Naruto was happy to finally be outside the village and voiced his happiness to the world as Sakura just stood there grinning and shaking her head at the blonde's antics. He really was happy to be out of the village and frankly, she didn't blame him one bit. He was able to get away from the idiots that tried to stymie his shinobi career. Sighing, she giggled as she watched Naruto head in front of everyone else, including the client.

"Naruto, don't travel to far from the group, we're on a mission here. If we're ambushed and you aren't here, the client could get killed!" Kakashi shouted, causing Naruto to nod and head back towards the group. As Naruto returned to the group, Tazuna looked at the two Jounin quizzically. "Are you sure a kid like this is really capable of a mission such as this?" and when Naruto heard this, he got very angry.

Looking at the old man, Naruto leaked out a small amount of killer intent as he thought that this man was one of the worse clients ever. "Hey you old geezer, don't underestimate us shinobi! I'm one of the best and someday I will be the best shinobi in Konoha, the Hokage! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, got it memorized?" he shouted, ending his rant.

"Hokage is the village's number one shinobi, the top dog, right? If that's the case I don't think a guy like you can become one," Tazuna replied, pissing off Naruto even more.

"Shut up! I'm willing to go through any hardship to become a Hokage! If I become Hokage…then you'll have to recognize me; you have no choice!"

"Even if you did become Hokage, which I highly doubt, I won't." Tazuna said as Naruto growled at him. He really wanted to kill him and even voiced it in his mind.

**Now now Naru-chan, it's not nice to kill your clients, especially when he's the one who is going to pay for this.**

_But…_

**No buts Naru-chan. Besides, it will be a perfect time to train you in how to activate my youki when we get to his country. **

_Alright…_Naruto thought, mentally pouting as she calmed Naruto down. When he came out of his conversation, he saw the others walking down the road. "Hey, wait up!" he shouted as he ran to catch up with the others.

"Don't get too far behind dobe," Sasuke said as Naruto glared at him, not noticing four pairs of eyes looking down at the team, focusing on Tazuna. Luckily they couldn't hear any thoughts from the two. As Naruto and the others moved away, the pair abandoned the spot and headed off in order to continue spying on the shinobi group before setting up their trap.

* * *

"It's a shame that it hasn't rained in a while, ne brother? One of the two asked as the other nodded. They had to think of a plan B since the puddle of water in the middle of the road would only give the two of them away.

"Agreed brother. Perhaps we can create a quick trap?"

"Perhaps, but if that's the case we need to move onwards. Come on, let's go." The older brother said as they both vanished to a site down the path, away from the eyes of Tazuna, Kakashi and the others. Using one of the higher up Doton jutsu that the duo knew, they created a small pit hole before creating another one, adding a few spikes for the Genin and hopefully the two Jounin to fall to their deaths. They placed leaves on top and then some dirt on top of it, before casting a genjutsu on top of both pit holes; something that only a few shinobi would be able to detect before camouflaging themselves and hiding themselves among the forest's many trees. Now, the only thing left to do was to wait for their prey to come.

* * *

"Tazuna-san?"

"What is it?"

"You're from Nami no Kuni, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?" He asked, causing Sakura to lowly growl at him. _He doesn't have to be so rude about it,_ she thought to herself, not blaming Naruto for disliking the man they were supposed to protect. Turning to Kakashi, she hoped to get a better result, "Kakashi-sensei, are there also shinobi in that country?"

"Actually, no they don't. There are no shinobi in the Nami no Kuni. However, while the culture and customs of other countries may be different, hidden villages, shinobi and kunoichi do exist"

"Right," Ark said stopping the group as he took something out of his pocket. Unrolling the map, he laid it on the ground, "the many countries that exist in this land and the existence of shinobi villages are the equivalent of that country's military power. In other words, that is how every village is able to maintain relationships with their neighboring countries and why there hasn't been another Great Ninja War after the one between Konohagakure and Iwagakure. Nevertheless, the villages aren't under control of the country, but they are suppose to be equal in position with the country's leaders. A small island such as Nami, where it is difficult to be influenced by other countries…there is no need for a shinobi village," Ark said, taking a breath and letting Kakashi take over the explanation.

Nodding, he continued where his partner left off. "Among the countries that have a shinobi village, there are the five elemental countries: fire, water, lightning, wind and earth. Each of these five villages each has a hidden shinobi village: Konohagakure, Mizugakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Since these countries each occupy a large mass of land and their powers are immense, these villages are also known as the Five Great Ninja Powers. Only the leaders of these five villages are allowed to carry the name of 'Kage', Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage; otherwise known as the 'Five Kages'. These five great shinobi are the shinobis that reign over tens of thousands shinobi in their respective villages around the world. Does that answer your question Sakura-chan?"

Nodding at the information that she received from the two of them, she thanked the both of them for the history lesson, a little concerned about the old man who was Hokage.

"Anyways, this is a C-rank mission, so we won't have any shinobi battles or any reason to worry about meeting a foreign shinobi or kunoichi," Kakashi said as he ruffled Sakura's hair, getting a glare from the girl as she fixed her hair back to the way it was. However, when Kakashi said and interacted with Sakura, Tazuna glanced to the side in worry, only Ark and Sasuke catching the worried posture of the client. As they continued onwards at a civilian's pace, they crossed over a stream which was low. Sasuke was in the front, possibly scouting for any possible ambushes.

Unfortunately, this proved to be Sasuke's undoing as he was the first to walk over the first trap hole. As he walked over the covered leaves, the two placed leaves snapped and he fell. _There's one_. The brothers thought to themselves grinning as they watched the boy fall into one of the two pits before heading off, ready to ambush the others. If they stayed a little longer, they would have heard two kunais scratching into the wall of earth, stopping Sasuke's descent.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted as she saw her teammate fall into a pit hole. Her guard raised, she carefully made it to the area where Sasuke fell, and luckily not falling into any pit holes herself. Before she could search for 'The Float' card to help Sasuke, she sensed a weapon coming at her. Jumping out of the way, she sent a mental command for her weights to unlock and she felt lighter and quicker as well. Searching for her attackers, she saw nothing. Keeping her guard up, she went towards the hole once again. "Sasuke-kun, are you okay?"

"I've been better," Sasuke shouted up, hoping she could hear him.

"Alright," she said, getting her cards out and searching through them until finding the right card. Finding the exact card that she needed, Sakura channeled a small amount of chakra into the card as a balloon appeared under Sasuke. If Sasuke didn't know what was going on, he'd freak, but luckily for all parties involved, Sakura showed Kakashi, Ark and Sasuke all the cards that she had over the months that they trained with, except for the elemental cards. The two turned around before hearing a shout of "Kakashi-sensei!" coming from Naruto. Racing back, the two saw what looked like Kakashi's remains. Sakura paled at the blood.

"Three down…" they said as they turned to Naruto, who was standing in front of Tazuna, refusing to back down. Yes he was scared, but he'd be damned if he let the client die because of his cowardice or something along those lines. If nothing else, Uzumaki Naruto was no coward!

"Last one," Meizu said as he turned towards Naruto, glaring at the two nuke-nin, waiting for everything and anything that would come his way. Taking a scratch to the back of his hand, Naruto then countered with a kunai to the one who scratched him. Unfortunately, it wasn't a lethal strike, but the kunai Naruto threw was able to hit the muscles that held the arm to the shoulder, causing Meizu to shout in pain. Seeing this, Sakura quickly threw one of her own kunai, but it was blocked by the metal gauntlet on his right hand.

Countering, he shot out his shuriken chain at the girl; however, it bounced off an invisible barrier around the girl. Retracting the chain, he turned around and received a boot to the face, courtesy of a Kage Bunshin. The real Naruto was protecting the old geezer as Gouzu headed towards him, taking out the clones left and right as he headed towards him.

"Time for you to die Konoha scum!" Gouzu shouted as launched his shuriken chain at Naruto's face. Naruto raised his arms in order to protect his face and his life and as the chain came up, it grazed his left hand before the chain was pulled back, before he was shot in the forehead, the chakra bullet instantly ending his life.

"Brother!" Meizu shouted as he turned towards the gunslinger, glaring at the bastard who took his brother away from him forever. No longer would he have the company that his brother gave him, nor the experience that he gave from being the older of the two. Slashing at the blind man, Ark moved just enough to capture him.

"Now then, tell me why you two, the Demon Brothers of Kirigakure, are out here and going after us." Ark said, his voice full of authority that promised pain if he didn't comply…to which Meizu didn't.

"Go to hell!" he said before getting a chakra bullet to the right knee, causing it to suddenly freeze, causing immense pain in the area where he shot.

"Now then, I'm going to ask you again. Why are you here?" Ark asked, cocking the gun once again, this time, the gun poised at where his other kneecap was.

"Fuck you."

"Sorry, I don't swing your way," Ark said before pulling the trigger again, causing his other knee to flash-freeze before both knees shattered under the impact of his weight, causing Meizou to scream in pain. Seeing that he wouldn't be giving any information any time soon, Ark sighed before quickly shooting him in the head to end his pain. Kakashi just sighed as the others looked at him in shock and horror.

"Ho-How could you!" Naruto shouted as Ark put Shimo back into its holster. Sure it was a person who tried to kill him, but he didn't have to kill the person or torture him the way he did.

"I did it first to get information and then to ease his suffering. Naruto, if you were in his predicament would you have wanted to die a slow death from blood loss? Either way, that man was going to die. If he didn't meet us, then maybe not today, but for a man like him, sooner or later he would have met his untimely demise." _Especially since he decided to go down this path himself…_ Ark said, thinking the last part to himself as he walked down the path once again, leaving Kakashi and Team Seven alone with Tazuna.

_Just who the heck did I hire?_ Tazuna thought to himself as he looked into the eye of an angry Kakashi Hatake who just explained and calmed down everyone on his team and apologizing to Naruto for not helping as soon as he could and that it led to him being hurt and also told Naruto that he did a good job at protecting Tazuna. Naruto only heard some of it though as Hosaki was talking to him as well, about a more important topic: his health.

**Naru-kun…I'm sensing poison in you. I'm healing it as best I can, but if you can open the wound and get some blood out, I will be able to heal you faster.**

_Are you sure?_

**When have I been wrong?**

…_good point, but if I do it now, I won't hear what the old geezer says. Kakashi-sensei is going to make him tell everything, I'm sure of it._

**Alright, just make sure to do it soon and until then, not to move much. Otherwise, I don't know how effective my healing will be.** Hosaki said as Naruto mentally nodded; his eyes on Kakashi and Tazuna.

"I suggest you start talking Tazuna. Those two guys were Chunin-class shinobi from Kirigakure, shinobi known to keep fighting no matter what the cost, including their own lives as my partner before showed you. Ark-kouhai and I sensed them long before we even left the village gates," he was saying as he was interrupted by Tazuna.

"Then why didn't you take care of them then? If you two could have sensed them then…"

"If we were up to it, we could have killed them within a blink of an eye. However there was one thing we needed to know; we needed to know who their target was…either one of the five of us, or you."

"What do you mean?"

"In other words…was someone trying to make a name for themselves by killing one of us, or on an assassination mission to kill you? We haven't heard anything about you being targeted by shinobi. Your request was to protect you from armed groups like gangs, robbers or bandits. This mission has now become above a B-rank, especially since our mission was to support and guard you until you completed the bridge. If shinobi are our enemies, then this mission would have been an expensive B-rank. I'm sure you had your reasons, but it only troubles us if you did lie in your request details. This wasn't part of our mission." Kakashi said, anger rolling off of him in waves.

Tazuna didn't know what to do, so he did the first thing that came to his mind and that idea was to deny any and all of it, which was a bad thing since he saw a gun pointed straight at his face afterwards. "There are two things I don't like Tazuna-san, and you are doing one of them, and that is being lied to. Now I suggest you stop fucking around with us before I do something even worse then what I did to that shinobi from Kirigakure." Ark said, returning from his walk.

…_he can do worse than that?! _Tazuna thought to himself before visibly gulping at not only the gun millimeters away from his face, but also the immense amount of killer intent directed right at him. He wanted to puke, faint or do both, but he didn't. "Alright, I'll tell you the truth, but can you do me a favor and take that contraption away from my face?" Tazuna asked as Ark thought for a few moments before lowering the weapon of death and reigning in his killer intent. "Thanks," was all that Tazuna said before Ark looked in his direction.

"Don't think for a moment that I entirely trust you Tazuna-san. If you decide to lie again, I won't be as lenient; now talk and it better be the truth," Ark said, as he kept the gun out in view, to make sure he knew he was serious.

Sighing, Tazuna looked towards the others before starting to talk. "First off, I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. I thought that I would be given a team of Chunins when I requested the C-rank mission. However, let me start at the beginning. An extremely terrible man is after my life and I wouldn't be surprised if you have heard of his name before…the Marine transportation billionaire Gatou," Tazuna said as Kakashi looked at him in surprise.

"Gatou, the same as in the Gatou Company? He's one of the richest men in the world."

"Yes, he is the president of a Marine transportation company on the outside, but underground, he uses gangs and shinobi to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also does nasty jobs like takeovers of other companies and countries, and more," at this he paused, looking down for a moment in sadness before looking back up. "A year ago, he set his sights on Nami no Kuni. He entered using violence as his sword and his wealth as a shield, and quickly took over the island's sea traffic and transportation. On an island like ours, controlling the sea means ruling over the wealth, politics, and people of the island. The one thing that Gatou is afraid of is the completion of the bridge that has been under construction for quite some time. That's the truth, I swear to it." He said while looking at Ark and Kakashi.

"There's something else you aren't telling us, and I have a feeling it relates to why you lied to us in the first place." Ark said; the tense atmosphere in the air for a few seconds before he put his gun back in its holster. "I also think that information isn't your story to tell…now then, you four need to decide whether or not you continue the mission," Ark said as he leaned against a tree and crossed his arms, putting his head down, waiting for whatever Team Seven decided upon doing.

"Well…we should go back to the village, but I'll leave it up to my team. However, we should take Naruto back to the village so he can get an anesthesia to get the poison out of his blood," Kakashi said as he looked at Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto.

_Brother and Father would be disappointed if I failed a mission, even if it was out of our league…_Sasuke thought to himself before looking at Kakashi. "It would be unfortunate to tarnish my future perfect record with a failure such as this. I say we continue this mission." Sasuke said as Kakashi nodded to himself.

"Aniki once said that you live by the phrase 'those who abandon their mission are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash'. If we abandon Tazuna-san, then wouldn't we be considered trash in your eyes Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked Kakashi as he looked up and met her gaze.

"My personal opinions about you shouldn't sway your decision in any way, which is why I will not answer your question Sakura-chan." Kakashi replied, infuriating the girl on their squad.

"Then I cannot give you my answer Kakashi-sensei, not if you're willing to answer my question," Sakura replied as she looked back at Kakashi in a defiance stance as Kakashi subtly turned his eye towards Naruto, the last member on the team. Feeling all eyes on him, Naruto figured that this was the best way to not only cleanse the poison out of his blood but also to make a statement. Taking a kunai out of his pouch, he stabbed the back of his hand where the scratch was. As he did this, everyone around him stared at the blonde in shock.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing?!" Sakura shouted in surprise; however, Naruto didn't hear her and when she raced forward and smack some sense into him, Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder. "It looks like he has something to say Sakura-chan, let's hear him out, alright?" he asked as she just mutely nodded, concern written all over her face.

"I should be stronger…I've accomplished a lot of missions and I've practiced every day," he mumbled to himself, only Hosaki hearing this and filing it away for a future use, before concentrating at getting the poison out of his body. Getting louder, he turned around and faced Kakashi, the kunai still in his hand as blood dripped down. "I'm never going to do something that requires someone to help me. I vow this to the pain in my left hand. I'm going to protect the old geezer with this kunai! I say the mission is still on!" Naruto exclaimed, removing the kunai in his hand, the wound slowly closing on its own.

Kakashi was still flabbergasted at what he did. Heading over to examine the closed wound to keep up appearances, Kakashi then got back up from his kneeling position and turned towards Tazuna. "We'll continue the mission, but it's now become at least a B-rank mission," _and it will most likely become an A-rank sooner than I think. The next time we'll most likely fight a Jounin…_Kakashi thought to himself as he turned to look off in the distance, sighing.

* * *

Zabuza was sitting in a hut in the middle of the forest, given to him by the crime lord, to "compensate" him for his loss of the two girls that were taken from him. He was a little annoyed that he was also given some shinobi to work with as well. Zabuza only worked well with one other person, and that was with Haku. Speaking of Haku, ever since the capture of Yugito and Byakuya, she became less talkative and more of a kunoichi, constantly training her bloodline limit and some other ninjutsus. It scared him that she was becoming a complete opposite of who she usually was.

Returning from a session of training himself and making sure that he didn't get rusty in either his silent killing Taijutsu style or any of his jutsus, Zabuza sat himself down on the sofa that was placed in the room after getting himself a cup of water. These things weren't the best that money could buy, which was ironic since Gatou was one of the wealthiest men in the world, but he didn't complain as they were being used for what they were meant for, and much better than the ground and a hand, or mouth, drinking from a stream.

Once he sat down, the man that he just thought of came through the door, opened for him by a member of his bodyguards that were always with him. Once he was inside the hut that he gave them, he glared at Zabuza. "You failed! I gave you this place as your headquarters, some of my own men, and a simple job of killing one old man. I spent a lot of money by hiring you because I heard you and your apprentice were skilled ninja!" He shouted at Zabuza. "Maybe I should tell some of my men that there are two free kunoichi that are ripe for the taking, hm?" He added, to which Zabuza had enough of. Taking the sword off his shoulder, he swung it in a wide arc, the tip of the sword lying just under Gatou's throat. "Stop complaining and if you ever threaten Byakuya or Yugito again, you may be missing an arm, a leg, or even your head. I may be your 'employee' but I'll be damned if you harm two of the three people under my charge. Now then, as to my job, I'll use this and kill that guy."

"Are you really sure you will be okay? It looks like the enemy hired good ninjas and since the Demon Brothers died in their attempt at assassinating him, they'll be more cautious, so it won't be easy…" Gatou's right hand man said, causing Zabuza to flood the room with killer intent.

"Just who do you think I am? I, Momochi Zabuza, was called the Demon of the Hidden Village of the Mist. Something like this will be easy for me," Zabuza said before reigning in his killer intent, everyone that wasn't a shinobi breathing easier.

"Ma-Make sure t-that you do! If you fail, I might just have to sell one of those two whores of yours to one of the wolves," Gatou said before leaving, his bodyguards following him as the last one closed the door. As he did so, Zabuza threw his sword at the door in anger, causing a small hole to appear where one of those bastard's heads would be.

* * *

The team had made it to the pier without any more incidents, Sakura and Naruto avidly chatting as Sasuke and Kakashi took the front, Ark keeping an eye on Tazuna. After the stunt he pulled, no one trusted him anymore and the three Genin hoped that there would be no more problems. As they got on the boat, Naruto moved to the bow of the ship next to the ferry man, as Tazuna, Sakura and Sasuke made their way to the middle of the boat as both Ark and Kakashi headed towards the stern of the boat. Before they left, Tazuna asked the ferryman if the weight on the ship was too much for the boat to carry. Reassuring him that it was not, the Ferry man looked at each of them, expecting some questions from the shinobi and kunoichi on board.

"Alright then, if no one has any additional questions, we'll be off." He stated as he took the oar and started rowing. Normally he would row from the stern of the boat, but with a lot of weight at that part of the boat already, he didn't want to risk it. Riding along in silence, Sakura silently noted how thick the mist was, and made sure that 'the Mist' card was still in the deck. Luckily she already mastered the card, which also gave her the unnatural ability to see through any mist as long as her hand was in contact with the card or the card was activated.

"We should be able to see the bridge soon, and if we move along the side of it, we'll be at Nami no Kuni," he said as Naruto looked further into the mist, or tried to anyways. Soon afterwards, the mist started to dissipate and the group could see the outline of the bridge as well as the materials being used to complete it.

"Wow, it's huge!" Naruto exclaimed, a little too loudly for the ferryman's liking and got reprimanded by said man for being loud and why secrecy was needed. Replying with an apology, Naruto looked back at the bridge, silently looking at the bridge in excitement. He now understood why they were protecting the man behind him.

"Why did you leave the dangers out of the mission request?" Ark asked as Tazuna looked towards the gunslinger with a frown on his face.

"I had to. Nami no Kuni is a really poor country…even the feudal lord doesn't have much money nowadays. And we don't have it any easier. We…we don't have the money to request something as expensive as a B-rank mission or something more expensive than that. If you quit your mission after we land, I'll understand. I'll most likely be killed on the way home. But there's no need to blame yourselves; only my cute eight-year-old will cry and cry and cry some more and my daughter will probably just hold a grudge against all of Konohagakure's shinobi and kunoichi for all of her life and live a lonely life. But it won't be your fault, not at all."

"I don't see how this is our problem Tazuna-san. Just because someone hates us doesn't mean Konohagakure will loose all of its business…" he said as he was interrupted by Sasuke glaring at the man for being colder than his aniki could ever be. Naruto and Sakura, on the other hand, took a more…vocal approach.

"How could you be such uncaring?!" they shouted at him as he just shrugged off the small amount of killer intent the two were producing. _If only they knew about the darker side of what our job entitles…_the young man thought to himself, getting a distant thought of what happened when his team was disbanded in the past.

"Now now, no one needs to get alarmed here. We'll still be helping Tazuna-san and continue the mission." Kakashi said as he dispelled the tension on the boat. Hopefully Ark would understand that it would be a great deal for him to go along with his Genin squad rather than him. _I still can't believe he pulled a guilt card on us of all things though._ Kakashi thought to himself, a little mad at how Tazuna said all of that. _Then again, he did say he had a daughter…I wonder how old she is_ Kakashi finished his thoughts while a perverted grin sported his features, no one the wiser of course due to his mask.

"That's good to hear," Tazuna said, while secretly doing a victory dance in his head, luckily missing the Jethro Gibbs head smack© to the back of Kakashi's head, courtesy of Ark. Ark also issued the warning that his book collection would be put on ice if he decided to be perverted around him _or the females he was about to see and meet._ Ark thought to himself as Kakashi glared slightly at him for threatening his 'literature'. Soon after that fiasco, the ferryman said that they were almost there, glad that they haven't been spotted yet to which Tazuna replied with an appreciative word of thanks before they headed through a tunnel. Once they were out of the tunnel, the group saw a beautiful landscape of houses and trees either surrounded by water or living on top of it, causing Sakura to whisper how beautiful it all was. Pulling up to the pier and docking there, everyone but the ferryman got off the boat.

"It was a pleasure taking you guys, but this is as far as I go. Later," he said as he revved up the engine and took off, leaving the group of six to head to the village before anyone could give him a word of thanks. Shrugging their shoulders, Tazuna turned to the group, grinning.

"All right then, if you guys could just take me home safely," Tazuna said as the Genin sighed. The sad thing was that they were already getting used to Tazuna's rude behavior, not that they had to like it. Looking at Ark, the man subtly made some hand signals, to which Kakashi agreed to. _"They'll send a Jounin next you know" "I know."_ was what transpired between the two, no one else the wiser of what the two did.

* * *

"I know you don't want to Haku, but you must. Just in case something happens" Zabuza said as he and his apprentice stood hidden behind a set of trees off the path. They could see the path, but anyone on it couldn't see them.

"All right," Haku agreed, sighing before she put her mask back on, getting into character of being a hunter-nin as an escape route for her master. So far they were lucky and able to get away with it, but sooner or later their lies would be discovered.

The two kept waiting silently, keeping a constant watch on the path for an old man wearing a straw hat, surrounded with people who looked like shinobi or kunoichi. _It's a shame those two brothers were killed. I could have used them to help me with my goals._ Zabuza thought to himself before he spotted the group down the path. Signaling Haku to get into a position to where she could see everything and anything that went on, he patiently waited until they were in striking distance. _I hope those two are all right…_he thought to himself before he saw a kunai coming at him. Cursing to himself for letting down his guard, he quickly used the kawarimi no jutsu to switch places with one of the white rabbits he had for just that purpose.

* * *

Due to long hours of practice with his father, brother and cousin, Sasuke had developed some sort of danger sense throughout the many times his face met the dirt. Thus being the case, he was one of the few people who sensed something was off. Looking around, he silently threw a kunai, angling it so that it would curve back in on itself. Ignoring Kakashi's warning, he pulled a kunai out before heading over to where he threw the weapon. Seeing a white rabbit, he scowled. _I'm sure I sensed someone over here…_he thought to himself as he collected the weapon and put it back in its case, along with the other one he took out.

_That's a snow rabbit, but what's with its fur? They only have white fur during the winter months unless…it is a rabbit that was raised inside a place where the sun isn't a factor for the kawarimi…_Kakashi and Ark thought before both looking in the direction where Zabuza was hiding. _Someone has already appeared…_they thought before they subtly got ready to protect Tazuna as well as the others.

_I see now…_Zabuza thought to himself as he grabbed Kubikiri Hōchō from where it sat on his shoulder. _Shinobi such as this…no wonder the Demon Brothers perished. _He thought to himself before seeing Areku as well. _Fuck…I hope he's willing to hear me out before he kills me._ Zabuza thought to himself, knowing full well that Ark was more powerful than himself. Sighing, he sucked in a breath before preparing himself for the beating that he knew he would get. _Didn't know he was in league with Konoha's Sharingan no Kakashi though…this may be interesting, if I get to live that is_ he thought to himself before pulling out his blade and throwing it at the group.

"Everyone, duck!" Kakashi shouted as both Kakashi and Ark ducked as a twirling blade of death flew towards them. Naruto pulled Sakura down with him as Sasuke did the same with Tazuna, the blade passing harmlessly over them, what scared them the most was that if they hadn't ducked all three would be missing a head. The blade kept twirling until it hit the trunk of a tree, embedding itself into the thick wood. Soon afterwards, a man appeared on it.

"Interesting…what is someone like you, Momochi Zabuza, exiled shinobi from Kirigakure doing all the way out here?" Kakashi asked as he noticed movement from behind him. Thrusting his arm out to block the movement, he noticed Sasuke trying to get towards him. Kakashi assumed it was to heal his wounded pride, but now was not the place. "You're in the way. Everyone…stay back here and protect Tazuna. This guy is way different from the guys we met before. I know you three are good, but this guy is out of your league. If he's going to be our enemy…" Kakashi said, moving his hand to his hitai-ate; however, before he could move it up so as to reveal the active Sharingan eye hidden there, Ark spoke up.

"Zabuza-kun, I sense your daughter around here, but what happened to the two people I left in your charge?" He calmly asked which got everyone looking at him as if he grew a second head. _He's a traitor?! _ Everyone thought as they looked at him as he just shrugged, seemingly saying 'what' in that gesture.

"Explain, before I take your head Areku," Kakashi barked at Ark, only to get him to growl at the white-haired man that he called his superior.

"He and I have a similar friend and he looks after her while I cannot. It seems that he is only good enough to look after one person other than himself at a time," Ark said, all the time glaring at the man in front of him. "Now then, Zabuza, I want an explanation, and I want it now!" He said, shouting towards the man who showed up to block their way, releasing a blast of killer intent.

"Sorry, but you're not going to get that answer of yours Seiryu!" Someone said as a kunai wrapped with an explosion note exploded, catching up a lot of dust, to which the mysterious shinobi got a lucky hit in on Ark. Picking himself up, Ark scanned his surroundings before shooting off a bullet in a random direction. "Kakashi, deal with Zabuza, but make sure he doesn't die."

"You do realize you'll have to explain all this shit to me later, right?" Kakashi replied, before Ark nodded. Sighing, he put his hand back up to his Hitai-ate and pulled it up, opening the eye that was hidden from view as a Sharingan appeared. Dodging another hit, Ark rolled away from his assailant. It didn't need to be said, but Ark moved so that his attacker was getting farther away from Kakashi, Zabuza and everyone else.

"I take it you are Sharingan no Kakashi, the person who copied over a thousand techniques. I'm sorry, but if you could hand over the old man and I'll be on my way," Zabuza said as Kakashi just chuckled.

"You think I would reveal this and then just hand over our client, just like that? I think not," Kakashi said, as his Sharingan started to spin. Sasuke was startled at the fact that Kakashi had a sharingan but kept his mouth shut. He thought that only an Uchiha could obtain one of the three legendary doujutsu. He'd have to ask Kakashi-sensei in the future about it. "Sakura, activate 'Shield' Naruto and Sasuke, make sure not to let anything get past the two!" He shouted

"What about you?" Naruto asked as Kakashi looked at him as if he grew a second head.

"I'm going to take him on. Be ready for anything," Kakashi said as he stared at Zabuza once more, waiting for him to do anything.

"I'm honored that I can see the Sharingan that I've heard so much about. It won't save you though Sharingan no Kakashi," Zabuza said as he created a thick mist around the area. Sakura fidgeted, grasping onto the Mist card within the deck. She felt a little better, however, she could only just see through the mist. "When I was in Kirigakure's assassination squad, your information was listed in the bingo book I carried, asking for your capture, right next to Ark. It also noted this about you: The man who copied more than a thousand jutsus, Sharingan no Kakashi."

_Kakashi-sensei was that great of a shinobi?_ Sakura thought to herself as she concentrated on the shield. Sasuke, however, was having other thoughts._ I don't understand…the Sharingan is a special trait that appears only rarely in the Uchiha clan. How does sensei have it? Could he be an Uchiha?_

"The time for chatting is over Kakashi, besides, I have to kill that geezer right away," Zabuza stated, and as soon as he said that, the two male Genin were in front of the female and their client within a heartbeat. _Hmph, the two taught them well _Zabuza thought to himself before he continued. "It seems I have to defeat you first then, Kakashi of the Sharingan," Zabuza stated as he disappeared out of sight, taking his massive blade with him.

_Where did he go?!_ Both Sasuke and Naruto thought to themselves as they scanned their surroundings, Sakura solely concentrating on keeping the shield card active. A few seconds later, both Sasuke and Naruto noticed that he was on the lake. Not only was he there, but he was standing on the water.

_He's embedding a lot of chakra into the water…what is he planning?_ Kakashi thought to himself, getting into a defense position.

After gathering enough chakra, Zabuza smirked beneath his bandages. "Kira Gakure no jutsu," he said silently before a thick amount of mist appeared around the five." Growling at his stupidity for not stopping the jutsu when he could, Kakashi was not surprised that he only used the thin amount of time to pull off a D-rank jutsu instead of using a more powerful jutsu.

"Listen everyone, he'll most likely try to eliminate me first, but…," Kakashi started to say before he was interrupted by Naruto.

"Just what is he?"

"Momochi Zabuza, once a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, which is like our ANBU Corps, and was known for his "silent killing" techniques. As the name implies, it's a killing technique that's executed in a flash and carried out in absolute silence. It's possible that you'll be dead before you realize it…and I can't use my eyes to their fullest potential. Don't let your guards down," Kakashi finished up before seeing the mist thickening.

"The mist is thickening!" Naruto shouted out of nervousness, especially after what Kakashi told him. Tazuna tried calming him down by telling him that a mist usually appeared since it was near the ocean.

"Eight points. The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney and heart. Now then…which vital organ do you want me to pierce through?" Zabuza asked, using a genjutsu to throw his voice throughout the area. Hearing that, everyone in the vicinity was aghast at what he just said, scared for their lives. As the mist thickened around them, Kakashi blasted a surge of chakra, returning visibility to the whole group for a few feet. At this point, the whole group felt a huge amount of killer intent directed at the three and Sasuke was the first one to be effected by it as he started shaking.

_What an intense thirst for blood! One wrong breath or eye movement and it would be detected and it would get me killed…If I stay here for an hour, I'll lose my mind! The murderous intent of two Jounin clashing and…and the feeling that my life is in someone else's hands…no, I'd rather kill myself to escape this feeling!_ Sasuke thought to himself as he grasped the kunai with both hands and moved it towards himself.

"Sasuke," Kakashi barked as said boy looked up at him. Not moving from his position, Kakashi continued. "Don't worry, I'll protect the three of you with my life. I made a promise to myself that I would not let anyone die on my team anymore," Kakashi said as he turned around, smiling at the boy the best he could.

"I don't know about that…" Zabuza stated as he appeared between all three of the Genin, causing Sakura to lose concentration as the shield card wavered before breaking up. "This is the end," was all that Zabuza said before reaching for his sword. Before he could swing it around, Kakashi quickly moved towards him and stabbed him in the stomach. However, the wound did not drip blood as it normally would, but water started to stream down the body. Zabuza suddenly appeared behind Kakashi and the others. "Die!" was said as he swung his blade horizontally, cleaving Kakashi into two pieces. However, just like before when Kakashi used the Kawarimi no jutsu to evade the Demon Brothers, this time Kakashi dissolved into water, surprising Zabuza. _The Mizu Bushin?!_ _Did he copy it in this mist? _He thought to himself before he felt cold steel at his throat.

"Don't move. This is the end." Kakashi said from behind him.

* * *

The shinobi that attacked Ark at first was not having an easy time as he once expected. Being in the ANBU forces, he thought that a Tokubetsu Jounin such as Areku would be a walk in the park. If only he knew the true strength of him and he would not have been in this situation.

Rolling backwards from an attempted kick, the shinobi tried landing a roundhouse kick towards his head but it missed Ark more than he thought it would. Ark caught it and swept his other foot, causing the shinobi to fall. Before he could do anything else, the shinobi brought his free foot up and caught Ark in the abdominal region. Coughing, Ark let go of his opponent and the shinobi quickly got back on his two feet. The shinobi fired off a lightning bolt to which Ark chuckled before punching it, causing it to dissipate automatically.

The shinobi was flabbergasted. He was told that he only had Mokuton, which also consisted of Doton and Suiton, but if he also had Fuuton type chakra…there was a possibility of being frozen solid. Scowling at what he just realized, Ark grinned before running towards the shinobi, using his mastery over Fuuton to get him there quicker than the shinobi could react to, earning himself a punch to the stomach. However, since it was at the equivalence to mach speed, the shinobi coughed up blood as he clutched his stomach. Pulling himself back up to a vertical base, the shinobi glared at Ark.

"Da-mn you Sei-Seiryu," he said while slowly rising up, hands in a single hand seal, but he had to release it as he sensed Ark coming from behind him. Utilizing a mule kick, Ark's speed worked against him as he came upon the kick, loosing his breath. Luckily, there was no internal harm done to him. During the time that Ark was trying to recuperate, the shinobi was doing several hand seals before finishing up and sending rocks at Ark. Not prepared for it, Ark did the best he could to dodge, but a few rocks hit his side.

Feeling his ribs bruise at that, he cursed himself as he utilized a kawarimi to gain a small amount of breathing room before going through a small amount of hand seals of his own, before drawing on both his Suiton and Fuuton chakras and thrusting his right arm forward. "Suiton: Mizu Jougo!" (Water Style: Water Funnel) The funnel of water flew towards the shinobi as he tried dodging it, but he moved to slow and was enveloped in it. After a few minutes of this torture, Ark appeared next to the downed shinobi. Wrenching him up, he quickly did some hand seals before placing his hands on the man, shackles of earth and chakra coming up to bind his arms and to have his legs and knees sink into the ground, making sure that he wouldn't be able to try anything else after the short battle they had.

"Now then after everything we've been through, let's see if I can get any information out of you," Ark said as he raised his Hitai-ate. As soon as his eyes bore into the mask of the shinobi's, the shinobi started screaming as his worse nightmares were coming true right before his eyes.

* * *

Kakashi was pissed. Not only was he inside Zabuza's Suirou no jutsu (Water Prison Technique) but he had to watch his team of Genins being attacked by Zabuza's Mizu Bushin. _I should have told them we quit_ he thought to himself bitterly, thinking up several plans on how to kill Zabuza. Ark told him not to kill, but after everything that happened, he figured that he could deal with an irate Ark.

Sakura was losing chakra and time. After quickly deactivating her weight before activating 'the Fight'. _I've seen you've improved a little since last time you needed my assistance Sakura-chan. You're still not flexible enough though…_she said as Sakura blushed. She knew the card didn't mean it that way, but she still couldn't help blushing as she dodged to the side and quickly throwing a left fist horizontal, causing the clone that attacked her to be surprised and hit by the punch. It soon dissolved into water as she opened the fist, a kunai coming from a device she, Naruto and Rai worked on as an extra project. However, as she grinned from the success of the functioning item, she was hit from behind with an elbow to her back. Grunting in pain, she fell forward, only to be caught by a clone of Naruto's.

Seeing the blue eyes of Fight instead of the normal green eyes of Sakura, Naruto quickly gave her a boost to get into the air, knowing that Fight-chan would not listen to pushing her mistress' body pass its limits, usually knowing when she was completely out of any fight. Coming down from the air with an axe-kick, Sakura was able to break the collarbone of the clone, causing it to disappear into water. However, the flat end of a blade caught her in the chest, before another clone kicked her in the back. As she was falling, that same clone drove an elbow into the middle of her back, right between the shoulder blades.

As the clone came towards Sakura with its sword raised and ready to deliver the killing blow, Naruto threw a kunai, enhanced with chakra, causing it to head through the clone's head extremely quickly. Shivering as the cold water fell on her, Sakura rolled as another clone's sword was placed into the ground, right where her neck was just moments ago. Growling, she silently asked how long Fight thought the two of them could fight before becoming fatigued.

_Maybe a maximum of five more minutes, maybe less. At least you're surviving longer than usual, good job Sakura-sama,_ Fight said, getting a small blush from Sakura. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several Naruto's disappearing within an instant. However, she also saw both Sasuke and Naruto doing their share of not only dishing out damage to the clones that Zabuza made but also taking damage as well. Sasuke had some shallow cuts on his arms, assuming from blocking, as well as some deep cuts on his legs and torso. Naruto was in a similar situation, but he didn't have as many due to the fact that he finally took his weights off. _If he forgot about those…_she thought to herself before hearing a scream in the distance.

_What the hell?! _They all thought, before they all got kicked in the stomach, each loosing his or her respective breath. Holding her stomach, she looked at Naruto before nodding, seeing the idea flash into his head. Seeing him pull out a scroll, he bit his thumb before smearing it on the scroll, his sword coming out. Before the clones could readjust to the fact that one of the Genin had a sword, Naruto used the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu as several blonde-haired Genin showed up, each holding that sword. Taking the sword out of his mouth, all clones did the same thing before grinning as they all ran towards the Zabuza clones. While this was going on, Sakura used the confusion to draw out one of her more advanced cards out and added chakra to it. "Kagami Bunshin no Jutsu" (Mirror Clone Technique) and as she said this, a mirror appeared behind her as it took the reflection of Sakura and then came out of the mirror. After using The Mirror card and one of her original jutsus, Sakura was feeling weak. Seeing that the Kage Bunshin Naruto summoned were being dispelled, the two Sakura's nodded, seeing the subtle change that Naruto used and most likely the plan he quickly made in the process.

The pair of Sakura continued to watch Naruto's plan unfold as he tossed a folded large shuriken to Sasuke, who grabbed it by the handle. It felt a bit heavier to him as he caught and figured out Naruto's plan. _I see what you want to do, Naruto. It's pretty good, considering that it came from you…_he thought to himself as he spun around after catching the blade, the spin caused by his own momentum and that of the hidden Naruto. Unfolding it, Sasuke smirked as he stared at Zabuza. "Fuuma Shuriken: Kage Shuriken no jutsu," he muttered to himself so that the clone wouldn't hear him.

"A shuriken doesn't work on me brat," the clone said, but Sasuke ignored it as he jumped into the air in order to get the right angle to throw the weapon. Once he got to the right height, thanks to the help of chakra, twirling in the air, he threw the shuriken as the clone just stood there. Using his chakra to break his fall, Sasuke smirked as he saw the shuriken not even touch the clone, just like what he wanted as it headed for the original, who still had their sensei in that prison jutsu of his.

_I see now…so you're going after the real one this time…but it's too easy for me! _Zabuza thought before extending his left arm and catching the weapon in the center, causing it to immediately stop spinning and giving him a weapon to use. However, he didn't see the second shuriken come at him until it was almost too late. Due to his years of training, Zabuza was able to jump over the spinning blade of death. As Tazuna paled from the fact that it didn't work, Sasuke only smirked before the shuriken that Zabuza jumped over transformed into Naruto. As Zabuza turned around, all he could hear was "Dodge this!" before he threw the kunai that he was holding onto straight at Zabuza's face.

Survivor instincts kicked in as the hand holding the water prison in place moved to catch the kunai that was heading towards his face, the jutsu unraveling as he did so. However, the kunai also glanced his cheek, drawing blood. Turning around, Zabuza was pissed, as he used the momentum from his turn to start twirling the shuriken that he caught from earlier. "You damn kid!" Zabuza shouted as Naruto looked on in shock, cursing himself for returning his sword so that he could throw the kunai. However, before Zabuza could throw the folding shuriken, blood flew towards him from the side. As he turned around, Kakashi's right arm was bleeding, but the metal plate covering the back of his hand blocking and causing the blade to revert to its fang-like appearance. As Naruto fell into the water, the same substance that Kakashi and Zabuza were standing on, Hosaki filed away the information for later.

Kakashi looked at Zabuza, extremely pissed and fired off a concentrated shot of killer intent at the nuke-nin, recoiling a small bit as everything was fired at him, in such a close range. "Naruto, your plan was impressive. All three of you have surely grown," he said as Naruto grinned and explained his plan to Kakashi, causing Zabuza to growl at the cunningness of the brat.

"I temporarily lost myself in the moment and canceled the Suirou no jutsu," Zabuza started before Kakashi interrupted him.

"You didn't cancel it; you were forced to. Now then let me tell you something…the same jutsu won't work against me twice. What are you going to do now?" Kakashi asked as he saw a crazy glint in Zabuza's eye before he had to brace his arm for the amount of force that was being put behind the fanged weapon. Before long though, Kakashi knocked the weapon away, having it spiral off into the distance. Making a mental note to either retrieve it or get another one made for Sasuke. Kakashi and Zabuza both jumped away, Kakashi's Sharingan having him mimic Zabuza down to the exact movement of hand seals. As they landed, they both continued the hand seal chain that they were using. After several hand seals, ending in the Tori (bird) seal "Suiton: Suiryudan no jutsu!" came from both Kakashi and Zabuza as two dragons made completely of water rose from the pond they were on as they created a double helix before hitting each other, the dragons canceling each other out.

This crash of water sent a wave of water, covering Naruto for a few seconds, to the coast as well, getting Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna wet as well. After recovering from the force of the water, Sasuke was impressed. _He formed that many seals in just a few seconds, and copied them perfectly…_he thought to himself as he used an E-rank Katon jutsu to dry himself off, offering to do the same for the others. Nodding, Sasuke used the same jutsu for Tazuna and Sakura. As Naruto broke the surface for air once again, he saw Zabuza's blade being blocked by a simple kunai from Kakashi.

_How is he doing that?!_ Naruto thought to himself as Hosaki giggled to herself, knowing that he was using chakra to enforce the metal and not have it be cut into two. As this was going on Zabuza was noticing something weird going on.

_The Sharingan is supposed to be an ability where the user memorizes the opponent's techniques and copies it, but…the jutsu was activated at the same time! Did he already know it? This guy…_ Zabuza thought to himself before he felt Haku's presence in the area and hid a grin as he jumped back to get a better position, Kakashi copying him as well. Growling, he ran in a half-circle to the left, Kakashi once again copying his movements. As he went to gather chakra with the ram seal, Kakashi also copied that, not only the chakra gathering, but the way he gathered the chakra as well.

"He's moving just like him, and with such perfect timing!" Tazuna said in shock, amazed at what Kakashi was doing.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked as Sasuke ignored her, focusing on the fight in front of him, not only wondering how Kakashi obtained the sharingan, but how he was able to hone in and use it as he was fighting. Sasuke continued to look onwards at the fight, multiple questions forming in his head.

_This guy…my movements are being perfectly_ "predicted by him." Kakashi finished, irritating the man even more.

_What?! He read what I was going to say in my mind? Damn it, this guy _Zabuza thought as he put his hands in a half Tori seal in order to try and confuse Kakashi's Sharingan. However, it didn't work as Kakashi mirrored it as well. "has such unpleasant eyes, right?" Zabuza switched seals, now in a Tora (tiger) hand seal, "what you're doing is just copying and nothing original. You can't beat me you monkey!" Zabuza started as Kakashi repeated the last part exactly as he was saying it, pissing off the nuke-nin even more. At this, Zabuza got extremely pissed and started sealing as fast as he could. "I'll make it so that you'll never open that damn copycat mouth of yours again!" He said as he continued doing hand seals. However, in the middle of the jutsu's sequence, Zabuza saw a shadow behind Kakashi. Staring at it, the shadow started to take shape and make it look like him.

_How can that be? Is he using some sort of genjutsu?_ He asked himself as Kakashi went on with the ninjutsu that Zabuza planned to use himself, completing it. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu" (Water Element: Grand Waterfall Technique)

"Wha-What?!" Zabuza shouted as the water in front of Kakashi started to swirl and form a whirlpool before a circle appeared before filling in the circle. Once the circle was completely filled, it shot out at Zabuza in a condense blast, trying to drown the sword-wielding shinobi. Unfortunately, as a side-effect, Naruto and the others were hit lightly with the jutsu. As he was underwater, Zabuza pondered on what happened. _I was the one who tried using the jutsu, but I couldn't keep up with his jutsu!_ Trying to swim against the current, Zabuza could only accomplish it for a few moments before the almighty tide, strengthened by chakra, taking him on a crazy zigzagging path until it smashed him against a tree, the jutsu ending as Kakashi threw four kunais, each meeting their mark as they drew blood from the nuke-nin, pinning his upper body to the tree behind him.

"This is the end," Kakashi said before he felt something cold resting on his neck, Ark attached to it and his finger was close towards the trigger. "I thought I told you not to kill him teme." Ark said as he appeared on the tree opposite him, what looked like a hunter-nin in the same position as him. "Now now boys, put your toys away so we can talk about this. If you don't, you can fight forever in one of the lower levels of hell for all I care." Zabuza glared at the blind man in front of him, knowing that those weapons of his could instantly kill someone, and the place where he had his guns on both Kakashi and Haku troubled Zabuza greatly.

Kakashi scowled before putting his hitai-ate down over his Sharingan eye, leaning against the side of the tree, panting for breath. He was very low on chakra and he doubted that if he was on the ground that he would pass out in a few seconds. Taking the gun away from both Kakashi and the hunter-nin, telling her to go to her father, to which she complied immediately. "Before you two go and lick your wounds, don't get in the way again," Ark said as Zabuza weakly got off a nod. After the two left, Kakashi felt steel placed against his neck. Knocking the blade of death away quickly, he turned towards Kakashi. "Look, I know I have a lot of explaining to do and as troublesome as all this is, I'll explain it the best I can when you wake up," Ark said before Kakashi stared at him in confusion for a few seconds before he fell over due to chakra exhaustion, Ark catching him as he fell. Sighing as he maneuvered him to sit against the base of the tree, he asked Tazuna if his house wasn't to far from here and Tazuna nodded in confirmation, saying that he would take them there.

"Areku-sensei," Sasuke asked, getting a small glare out of the white-haired conscious man.

"Yes Duck butt?"

"Who were those two and how do you know them?"

"I told you that we have mutual friends. Unfortunately, it seems as if those friends are still in danger, meaning my mission from before is still on-going," sighing at this, Ark reached into one of his pockets to get a smoke and a lighter. Pulling it out and lighting the cancer stick, Ark sighed and continued, "That woman can be so troublesome at times…" to which all three Genin looked at him curiously. Ark just replied that it was none of their business as he picked up Kakashi. Turning to Tazuna, he told the man to lead the way.

* * *

"You asked for me Hokage-sama?" A member of the ANBU asked after closing the door, on behalf of the Hokage's orders.

"I did. You can remove your mask if you want Itachi-kun," Sarutobi said as Itachi removed his mask, waiting for whatever the Hokage asked of him next. Motioning for him to sit, Itachi did so, confused as to what the Hokage wanted of him.

"Hokage-sama, if you don't mind me asking, why did you ask me here?" and at this, Sarutobi sighed.

"Itachi-kun, I have some very unfortunate news for you. I have received rumors that Fugaku and some of the other members of the Uchiha clan are planning on a coup de tat; the only problem I have is that I cannot find any evidence to prove or disprove this rumor…"

"And since you can only trust me with this sensitive information, you want me to check and see if the rumors are true?"

"Precisely. I know it will be hard for you, but I need you to keep an eye on your fellow clansmen, and report anything suspicious to me. Can you do that Itachi-kun?"

"If it is for the safety of Konohagakure, I will do it Hokage-sama," Itachi said as he replaced his mask, bowing at the Hokage as he stood up.

"Thank you Itachi-kun. Please be discreet as possible; I don't want to hear that anything happened to you," Sarutobi said as Itachi nodded.

"I'll be as silent as the crows Sarutobi-sama, if I may; I need to get back to my duties as an older brother," Itachi said as the Hokage let him go, grinning at the fact that Itachi's younger brother was helping to melt Itachi's cold heart. Looking at the door where Itachi just left, the old man sighed, feeling his age for the first time in decades. Sighing, he wished that there was something he could do for Itachi. _I wish you luck Itachi-kun and I hope these rumors are false…_

_

* * *

_

"It's not much, but this is my home."

"It will do Tazuna-san," Ark replied as he carried Kakashi on his back. He wasn't happy that Byakuya and Yugito were once again in danger. Although, then again, torturing and showing this Gatou person why you don't piss off a dragon and live to tell the tale. While he was musing, Naruto went towards the door and knocked on it.

"I have a key…" Tazuna started to say when he heard movement from inside. Seeing that the brat wasn't going to listen to him, the bridge-builder decided just to sigh and keep his thoughts to himself.

Yugito was sleeping on the couch when she heard the knocking. Hissing slightly in annoyance she headed towards the door. Sending her chakra outwards, she sensed one person with no chakra, a person with a small-medium chakra pool, two people with larger chakra sources and then…the last person she sensed caused her to get up right away and head towards the door. Opening it quickly, someone fell down on top of her.

"Oomph!" Naruto said as he fell backwards onto a female…_she smells like cat. She smells like a cat…great, _he thought to himself as Hosaki started giggling, already liking where this was going. A few seconds after giggling, she noticed something.

**Naru-kun, ask this girl if she knows the name Hikaru.** Not questioning Saki-chan's wisdom, Naruto did as was asked, getting her to take a double-look from the girl before throwing Naruto off.

"How do you know Hikaru-kaa-san?" the girl asked, causing Naruto to look at her as Ark chuckled, telling her that it would probably be best to wait until later to get the answer for that question.

"Yugito-chan, meet Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun, meet Yugito-chan," he said as the two looked at each other. "Tazuna-san, where can I put Kakashi-senpai?"

"Follow me, I'll show you where you can put him," he said as led Ark upstairs into one of the empty rooms. After Ark put Kakashi down on the tatami mat that was set out for him, Ark sat down before sighing. _If Yugito-chan is here…then where's Bya-chan?_

While that was going on, the four downstairs were getting to know each other, Yugito getting to know the three Genin from Konoha, and they getting to know her. After hearing how similar her childhood was to Naruto's, she hugged the blonde-haired kunoichi. Startled at the action, Yugito stiffened up for a few seconds before awkwardly returning the hug.

"What was that for Sakura-san?"

"You went through the same as Naruto-kun did…and I usually hug him so…I'm sorry if I offended you Yugito-chan," Sakura said to which Yugito quickly shook her head, explaining that she was just surprised.

* * *

Dragon and Sword Master: finally done! I think this was my longest chapter to date, coming in at 30 pages, give or take with Author notes. Anyways, not only has the Wave Mission started, but also something darker and more sinister back in Konoha.

Yugito: And I finally got to meet Naruto-kun *grins*

Dragon and Sword Master: *teasing* someone likes their new Kitsune-kun koneko-chan

Yugito: *blushes* b-be q-quiet you!

Dragon and Sword Master: And we get to see a little insight into what makes Ark the way he is. Perhaps next chapter we'll gain more insight into Areku-kun's past? *reflects the ice bullet with kooriken* Now now Ark-kun, don't be hostile…

Ark: I'll show you hostile. *pulls out both guns*

Dragon and Sword Master: …shit. *runs, slashing and/or reflecting the bullets*

FireSamurai: *comes in, sheathing his katana and gets out some sake* …what the hell are you doing with my muse?

Dragon and Sword Master: um…target practice?

FireSamurai: *sighs* Why do I even bother asking?


	8. History of the Exiled Hero

Dragon and Sword Master: *grins from ear to ear even though he has only two reviews for last chapter*

Yugito: What has him so happy and Naruto-like?

Byakuya: He got back from a three day event called Animazement. Apparently, the baka is still giddy over what happened.

Dragon and Sword Master: When you get to hug Sakura-chan (from CCS) Kamida from Gurren Lagaan and get a hug from many Shippous and Yoko Kurama and Kurama then…yeah. I had much fun.

Byakuya and Yugito: …we can tell.

Dragon and Sword Master: and I got a kimono for $80 and it fits…life is…OW.

Haku: Stop being a fan boy and come back down to earth Dragon-kun. You still have to write the chapter and everything else.

Dragon and Sword Master: …fine. I just won't show you these cool new weapons I found that are perfect for you Haku-chan.

Haku: Oh?

Dragon and Sword Master: Nope. You don't hit the almighty author without some sort of punishment.

Haku: But Dragon-kun…*uses the Puppy Eye no jutsu*

Dragon and Sword Master: Nope, not going to work, sorry. Try Naruto.

Naruto: eh?

Dragon and Sword Master: *innocently* what?

* * *

History of the Exiled Hero

Ark was sitting on a branch outside with his guns loosely hanging in their holsters, ready to be used at a moments notice if anyone decided to try and attack the bridge builder while the family and other shinobi slept. Hearing someone coming out of the house, Ark looked down to see Yugito come out of the house. Moving back to the branch, he went back to his job as a look out, before hearing Yugito call up to the gunslinger.

"Ark-kun?" She asked as Ark looked down at the girl. Mentioning her to continue, she then asked how Naruto knew about her mother.

"I can't answer that young one. That is Naruto's story to tell koneko-chan. Speaking of which…I think he said he was going to find a clearing to do some special training. He went out that way," Ark said, pointing away from the house and into the woods.

"You let him go alone? Ark-kun, how could you?" She said angry that one of her new friends was training by himself this late at night. "He wanted to train and I wasn't about to stop him. If he wants to train himself to exhaustion than who am I to stop him?" he asked as an image of Byakuya was behind her with her hands on her hips in an angered expression as he said that, an old memory making its way back to the forefront of his mind.

"Go find your new plaything koneko-chan; I'm sure he's worried about his master." He said, laughing as Yugito blushed extremely hard at those words, before heading off in the direction that Ark pointed to before he teased her.

As she left, Ark looked at the spot where she stood before leaving. _I can't believe I remembered that of all things…_Ark thought to himself as he watched his charge go off into the distance.

_Flashback_

_A man in a white button shirt and jeans wearing a simple Konoha Hitai-ate on his shoulder, the fact that his purple-tinted glasses would get in the way and then…well, let's just say that it was easier for it to be on his forearm than on his head like usual. "Come on Shiro-kun, the sooner the better,"_

"_Yeah yeah, whatever you say Urchin-head. One question though, if we go in blazing with jutsus, what will happen to the people they're experimenting on? I didn't peg you as the one to go in without a plan Ban-chan._

"_You're right, I do have a plan. What do you say about knocking on their doors while I go in and save the hostages?_

"_And why am I the decoy?"_

_Shrugging at that, Ban only had one thing to say, "Because you are better suited for the situation than me?" he rhetorically asked, causing Ark to lightly scowl before lighting a cigarette and sighing lightly._

"_Troublesome teme," was all that Ark said before he headed off, getting ready to give the door a nice tap. Once nearby, he started creating a chain of hand seals before finishing on the tatsu (dragon) hand seal. "Suiton: Suigaden," was all that was said before a bullet of water, faster than the speed of sound, hits the door and creates a horrendous bang._

_Ban watches from the birch that he was sitting on, waiting for the best time to sneak into the vicinity. Seeing his moment, Ban disappeared, heading into the building. Once he was inside, he looked around, appalled at the surroundings. Seeing a male with yellow hair in one of the containers, he sets on opening it before he sees another container; this time holding a female with black hair. Setting upon opening the device, he noticed a kanji symbol for storm mistress on her arm and as the two quickly stood up, he pulled out two scrolls and unsealed the clothes that were in them. The girl looked around before getting her bearings. "Get dressed," Ban said before heading over to the young man, quickly dodged a bolt of lightning. "I don't know if you meant that or not, but I'm not here to hurt you. The men that you want to fry are outside with my partner. Now then, get dressed and we can all give them what they so richly deserve."_

_Flashback End_

Ark returned to the present, chuckling at what Ban told him of what happened inside while he was taking on the goons outside. He chuckled at what happened after Ban, Ginji and Byakuya came out; when it was just Ark, the goons were going down at a slow pace. When the other three came out, it soon became a bloodbath as all four quickly took them down. _I almost forgot about Ban's 'victory speech'_ Ark thought to himself amused. Tonight he would sleep, and tomorrow, Gatou would have hell to pay for messing with those he considered his family.

* * *

Naruto was in a small clearing, channeling chakra around his body. More specifically, he was channeling the youki of Hosaki. The Queen of the Demon Foxes was coaching him into how to channel it safely and accurately without going berserk, even though he knew the risks of what would happen if he did. However, all of that aside, he still wanted to learn how to harness her power, and it was only when he promised her not to use it if he didn't have to, did she relent in starting to teach him how to harness the harmful energy.

"That is good enough for now Naruto. When you can call on this red shroud of youki, or the zero-tail state, without going into a berserker rage then I will let you take on one of my tails, or the one-tailed state." Hosaki said as Naruto let the youki go, panting at keeping the wild energy in check. It was hard to keep even the Zero-tail state stabilized and before Hosaki could dispel the Kage Bunshin, or her youki canceling the technique for her, Naruto saw a blonde ponytail amongst the pitch black night. Luckily, he couldn't hear Yugito's thoughts or he would be blushing up a storm. "Saki-chan, how much longer do you think you can hold onto the technique?"

"Another hour at best, half an hour at worse, why?" she asked before he motioned her to look over to where he was looking. She saw a small amount of yellow hair that ducked behind a tree. Giggling to herself, she turned back towards Naruto, "you know…she wouldn't be bad for you," she said while laughing at the confused look on Naruto's face. Once she quit laughing, she told her jailor that she was teasing and meant nothing by it.

"Alright," turning towards the forest, both the vixen and her jailor looked to where they last saw the girl. "Yuu-chan, you can come out. We know you're there," Naruto said as Yugito came out, blushing in embarrassment at getting caught.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave if you want me to," Yugito said before turning away, her courage failing her when she needed it the most.

"Actually, I was just finishing up," Naruto said while grinning, causing Yugito to slightly blush at it, although when she looked at the female next to him, she got jealous. The girl beside Naruto was so beautiful…shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she didn't hear Naruto ask what she was doing and repeated the question.

"I was wondering…how did you know about Hikaru-oka-san?"

"All I can safely tell you is to ask Hikaru-chan about the past. Other than that, I can't tell you, not this soon Yugito-chan," Hosaki said before she felt the effects of her youki overriding the jutsu, canceling the body as her soul went back into the cage where it was suppose to stay in.

_Hosaki-chan, how could you? She asked a question and she wants to know the answer of how you know this Hikaru, and I'm curious as well._

**Naruto, think about it for a moment. She is still technically an enemy and to know our secrets will be a bad thing. I should make you figure this out on your own but; Hikaru is the Queen of the Demon Cats and holder of the Nibi title. Yugito is the jinchuuriki of the Nibi and if she knows that you are the jinchuuriki of me, the Kyuubi no Yoko…**

_Alright, Alright I get it, but I don't have to like it. You may have to take control over me if she uses her full power, and yes, I know that if you use four tails or more that my life will be in danger, but you know how I am…_

Sighing at this, Hosaki gave him a mental nod, **you're right, I do know you and that you know the risks. Luckily, this is only the two-tailed demon cat, and even though I don't like fighting someone I consider my sister, I'll go into the three-tailed state if need be.**

_Fine, _was all that he thought towards Hosaki, mad that she was still thinking of Yugito as an enemy, but it was necessary. Until the mission was over, Yugito could be forced to help Zabuza and his daughter, and with the information that he was willing to give…the ending results would be disastrous. "I'm sorry about my sensei's actions, but until the mission is over, I can't trust you with something as grave as that. I promise on my shinobi's nindo that I will tell you everything you want to know once this is all said and done."

Looking at the blonde male, Yugito glared at him for a minute, anger showing through her whole being. "I can't ask Hikaru-kaa-san anything about her past. When she woke up, whatever seals they used on her and me inflicted damage upon her memories. She remembers bits and pieces, but that's all it is—bits and pieces. I refuse to ask her something of that nature…" Yugito said, on the verge of tears. Before Naruto could do anything to apologize for himself or Hosaki, she fled back the way she came, tears dotting the ground the whole time.

…_We have to make it up to her,_ Naruto thought to himself, knowing that going after her would only cause her more distress, getting a mental nod from Hosaki. Sighing at what happened, he didn't feel like training anymore, but going back wouldn't help matters either…sometimes it sucked being him. Sensing that someone else was in the vicinity, Naruto grabbed two kunais, arming himself with one while throwing the other at where he sensed someone, only for it to be caught.

Coming out of the shadows, Kakashi limped over to his charge. _Odd, just a few minutes ago I swore I sensed the Kyuubi's vile chakra. _"Naruto, what were you doing before talking to that girl?"

"Training," he quickly said, Kakashi not believing him for a second and it showed in his face. Deciding not to press the matter for now, Kakashi pointed in the direction of where Yugito ran off earlier. "Can I ask what that was all about?"

"I'd rather not talk about it sensei, leave me alone."

"If I do that, then Ark is going to come after you, 'for making his koneko cry' or something along those lines. You don't have to talk about it, but it would be a good idea to listen. If you don't make it up with her then she will probably hate you forever. I know you can cook, and Ark-kun let slip while he thought I was unconscious that our new friend likes fish. Now then, it's only a suggestion, but why don't you treat her to one of her favorite dishes?" Kakashi asked as Naruto looked at his sensei with confusion. Chuckling as he looked at his charge, Kakashi walked away. "Just think on my words for a bit Naruto-kun," he said as he waved good-bye in standard Kakashi fashion.

Hosaki giggled at what Kakashi said, obviously telling Naruto to make dinner for the young girl when they got home as an apology. Of course, she would give a hint that Naruto would understand, and it would probably be blunt.

* * *

Yugito finally fell asleep, tears still drying for what happened earlier. Ark received the whole story from her while she was sobbing on his shoulder, resisting the urge to shoot Naruto full of ice. He must have had a reason to make her cry like that, and as he put her down softly onto her futon, he made to leave. However, Yugito latched onto his arm, which caused the young man to sigh. _If Kakashi says a thing about this and his damn book, he's a dead man._ Seeing that he couldn't do anything about the situation, he sighed before getting comfortable next to someone he considered a daughter. He was going to hate himself come tomorrow when he had to leave her, but it had to be done. But for now, he could act like the bigger brother/father figure that he was called by the young girl.

"You know, you never answered just who she is to you," Kakashi said as he came into the room, lightly chuckling at the fact of the great and all-powerful Blue Dragon of the East was being used as a teddy bear.

"First, you tell anyone about this and I'll persuade the Hokage to ban your precious books as I use your collection as target practice. Second…she's not only a close friend to me, but I also catch myself thinking of her as a daughter from time to time. Then again…she saved me from myself as well," Ark said as Kakashi looked at him curiously. "Do you remember when I was exiled?"

"Only a little actually, why?"

"Well…when I was exiled from Konoha, I became a wanderer instead of a Nuke-nin, thanks to the help of the Professor. I was found by Yugito, or more accurately, she found me," he said, scowling at the memories that were brought up by that chance encounter. "She was being chased by a mob…"

"She's like Naruto?" Kakashi interrupted, getting a nod from Ark. He then told him what happened afterwards, leaving everyone alive, but to think twice of attacking the cat-girl. "If you don't mind me asking, how bad was it?"

"You know the theory of how a cat doesn't need sleep?" Ark asked as Kakashi nodded, not liking where this was going, but let Ark continue nonetheless. "They didn't let her sleep Kakashi, not even for a minute, due to who her bijuu is," he said with a growl, remembering that after he saved her, she was asleep for three days straight. "After a while, it got so bad that I had to smuggle her out of the village. Luckily, or unluckily, I ran into Jiraiya who was also looking for me for a different reason. He helped me find Bya-chan, who was hiding in Kusagakure, and I was able to convince Yuu-chan to stay with Bya-chan and for her to look after the kitten and why Byakuya-chan took her back to Kumogakure is beyond me. Anyways, I may as well get some sleep, since I'm heading out in the morning," Ark said, slightly yawning at the sight.

"Heading out, where?"

"To pay Gatou a visit. I entrusted Yuu-chan and Bya-chan's to Zabuza, and Gatou kidnapped them to get Zabuza and Haku to work for him, but now that Yuu-chan is here, then where is Bya-chan? That question I'll get the answers to tomorrow," Ark said, before telling Kakashi to head to his own room, sleep overtaking the gunslinger as well.

_Flashback_

_At the edge of Hi no Kuni was a shrine thought to be hidden to all of humanity throughout the ages. On the edge of the shrine were two statues of dragons, identical in all but color, one an icy blue while the other was a demonic red. In the middle was a long cylinder weapon, two shorter weapons surrounding it, each weapon pointing towards one of the dragon statues. The roof of this shrine had an icy blue dragon head in the center, a ruby and garnet stone shining brightly within the eyes of the dragon head. The simple path that led to it started with a __sangedatsumon _(Gate of the Three Liberations); _however, what one didn't know was that this gate did more than look pretty. If the person was completely pure and only the blue statue lit up was the pathway shown, but if there was even a little darkness, then the red statue would light up, the brighter the statue the more evil a person had within their heart. However, there was only one rare exception to this rule, and that was if both good and evil were completely balanced then they would be shown the path._

_A man with yellow hair and a white coat was making his way up the path, eyes and ears open for any traps that Ark would place around the area to keep intruders out, along with the shrine's defenses. Already getting past those, he head his way to the center of the shrine, before jumping back and off the platform as wood spikes appeared where he was standing just a few minutes ago. "Ark, just hear me out old friend. Konoha needs your help!"_

"_Why should I listen to you Kazama? You and Konoha washed your hands of me three years ago," Ark shouted, his voice coming from everywhere and no where all at once. _

"_Because we are on our last legs and need your assistance. It is only through the combined forces of the Professor and myself that Konoha is still standing, but it won't last forever. The both of us can't hold up against Iwagakure and its allies forever," Arashi said, pleading with the man who was exiled three years ago for a bogus reason._

"_Give me one good reason why I should give a damn. Technically, I wouldn't be sad if Konoha did crumble into pieces if you ask me…_

"_You can't honestly mean that Ark-san, after all Konoha is your home…"_

"_Correction: was my home; it certainly isn't anymore…but I'll think about it Kazama, now leave."_

"_But…"_

"_I said I will think about it and that is the best you'll get from me at the moment. Now leave, before I hurt you."_

"…_fine," Arashi said, defeated, as he turned around and left, hoping that Ark would come and help them when they needed him._

_Sighing, he created a chair of wood before sitting down on it, Arashi's thoughts heavy on his mind. Grabbing the two weapons that he received when he became the guardian of the shrine, he got up and headed to the back of the shrine where Ark and the deity created some targets so that Ark could get use to the new weapons in his possession. Letting the thoughts of what Arashi said go to the back of his mind, Ark took aim and fired the first chakra bullet of the day, still getting used to converting his chakra into the bullets that powered the two guns, Shimo and Nobara. As he kept shooting and getting used to the two of them as well as becoming flexible with the guns, he kept thinking about what Arashi said. After a while of practicing, Ark put the guns back in the holsters, panting from the amount of energy it took to create several bullets. "There has to be an easier way…" he thought to himself. "Hey Sei-san?"_

"_Yes?" A female voice asked back as she appeared before him._

"_I was wondering…is it possible to make a chamber or casing for these bullets so that I don't have to make them all the time?_

"_I can, but it will take a few days and a good amount of your energies, but it can be done."_

"_Alright, I need to think on what Arashi-san said anyways," Ark said as she agreed to that. Heading back to the house that he built near the shrine, he went into his room to sleep.

* * *

_

_Arashi dodged another Doton, cringing in pain as a hidden kunai hit him near the shoulder blade. Not being able to look at anyone else while fighting, he hoped that Kushina and the others were okay. Going back to the shinobi that was attacking him, he quickly ducked under a jutsu of flying rock before using a set of his own hand seals and sent a dragon of pure fire back at the man. Taking out his sword, he slashed a man that was beside him. "God damnit, where is he?" Arashi thought to himself, still holding onto the hope that Ark would come to help protect Konoha from Iwagakure and its allies, even if it was a one-in-a-million shot._

_Killing another man, he created a Kage Bunshin before both he and his clone threw several Hiraishin kunais. A second later, several shinobi were added to Arashi's list of killing today. Breathing hard, he felt blood coming from his left arm and a shushin coming nearby. Sensing that it was a shinobi from Konoha, he kept his cool._

"_Jiraiya-sensei, how bad is it?"_

"_Your arm looks good, but you'd want to ask my teammate Tsunade later, but right now it looks usable. Anyways, I have bad news for you…Obito was killed in an attack." Jiraiya said, seeing Arashi get angry at the news, but Jiraiya continued, "Kakashi was injured in the process of saving their teammate Rin; are you sure he'll come?"_

"…_I don't know anymore."_

"_Well…I hope he does. I've seen the forces they have left…it doesn't look good for Konoha," Jiraiya said before they felt a large boom go off with a voice to follow it. __Hyoton: Kokuryubo Fusetsu (Ice Release: Black Dragon Outburst Snowstorm) as a huge dragon made of black ice came through before splitting into several smaller ice dragons as a figure in blue clothing made his way throughout the_ _Iwagakure army, several gunshots and ice dragons making their way throughout the army. A few seconds later, the great Iwa army that consisted of at least a thousand members was reduced to almost nothing in the blink of an eye._

"_I'm not late am I? It would be troublesome if I did that all for nothing…" he said, his hitai-ate covering his eyes as if he were blind, thus not seeing the amount of damage done to Konoha and its shinobi._

_Just with what he said, Arashi and the others knew that was Areku Tenjin, supposed murderer of Ban Midou, but also now known as the Gunslinger of Konoha, as well as the Blue Dragon of the East, for the way that he came, the destruction jutsu that he used and the clothes that he wore._

_Flashback End_

Waking up, he looked over to see Yugito still asleep. Sighing, he craftily and carefully pulled his arm out of her grasp, noting the small pained sigh and shiver from the lack of warmth that his body provided for her during the night. He hoped that she understood as he went to take a shower. As he dried off and got back into the same clothes, he saw Kakashi sitting in front of the door leading out, keeping a watch on the house.

"Naruto never came back last night, you know," Kakashi said as Ark nodded; kind of glad that he didn't see him. Ark wouldn't have known what to do if he saw the male again at the moment. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"My mission from before isn't over."

"What should I tell her when she wakes up? She isn't going to like the fact that you are gone again," Kakashi said as Ark nodded, knowing that the girl would want to be near the closest thing she considered a family.

"I know she won't like me going, especially after everything that's happened so far, but for as what to tell her…tell her that I'm going to get her nee-chan back and that she needs to be ready for anything. Kakashi-senpai, I ask you to take her under your wing for a few days and train her. She knows that her element is lightning and tree climbing."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I have a feeling you will need her help protecting Tazuna, now then, if she's still crying when I return, I'm taking whoever made her cry through _that_ genjutsu," Ark said as he tapped his blindfold before Kakashi's eye rose in surprise, knowing exactly which genjutsu Ark was talking about.

"You mean…"

"Exactly, now then, I better get going before she wakes up. I have a feeling she wouldn't take no for an answer and stay here if she knew where I was going," Ark said before stepping outside into the early light. _…oh right, I almost forgot her sword. She would so kill me if I did that…_and before he left, he headed over to a tree and placed his hand near the trunk of it, having it fade away and replace itself into the ground, a scroll falling to the ground as it did so. _I'm glad that Yugito-chan gave it to me when I asked about it, when I said that I would need it for later. It would have been troublesome if I had to steal it from her…_he thought to himself before double-checking everything. He almost pitied Gatou, but the bastard kidnapped people close to him, and that was as wise as waking up a sleeping dragon.

* * *

Sakura slowly woke up, panicking for a few seconds before remembering that they were on a mission. Slowly getting her bearings together, she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Yugito said softly. Seeing as Sakura was one of the people who Naruto trusted the most, Yugito hoped that Sakura would be able to explain why Naruto acted so cold to her when she asked how he and that fox-girl knew of Hikaru. Thinking of that scene again made Yugito blinking back tears.

"Yugito-chan?" she asked as she made her way over to the door and opened it after hearing the girl confirming it. As soon as Sakura opened the door and saw the girl who became their friend, she sensed something wrong with the girl and quickly hugged her. As she did, Yugito broke down and started crying all over again, dampening Sakura's nightshirt. Not knowing what to do, she let her instincts take over and starting rubbing Yugito's back in small circles. Soon after, the girl stopped sobbing.

"I'm s-sorry. I s-seem to be g-getting o-on-only hugs from you," she said in-between hiccups, to which Sakura responded that she didn't mind at all. Thanking her, Yugito removed herself from Sakura's embrace. "I wa-wanted to ask you some-something," she asked to which Sakura looked at her curiously. Explaining everything that happened between then and now, Sakura had a scowl on her face.

"I'll talk to him when he wakes up Yuu-chan; I have an idea of what happened, but I don't want to assume anything," Sakura said as a knock was heard. Before she could ask who it was, Kakashi's voice came through the door, telling them to get up and dressed and that breakfast would be ready in thirty minutes. When asked about Sasuke, Kakashi responded that he was looking for Naruto. "Naruto-kun didn't come in last night?"

"Nope, my theory was that he stayed and trained to exhaustion," to which Sakura replied that was something he would do. "Also, is Yugito with you? I need to talk to her for a minute," Kakashi asked as Sakura responded positively before she opened the door, beckoning Kakashi to come inside. When Kakashi noticed that Sakura wasn't going to leave, he coughed for a few seconds.

"Whatever you want to say to Yugito-chan, you can say to me. I'm not leaving her alone, especially with a pervert like you," Sakura said, causing Kakashi to sigh. He could pull rank and order her out of the room, but he didn't want to make an ass out of himself if he didn't have to.

_Besides…I'm not that bad of a pervert…am I?_ Kakashi thought to himself before sighing and telling both Sakura and Yugito what Ark asked him to tell Yugito earlier, which caused Yugito to blush in embarrassment and gratitude for what Ark said.

"Older sister?" Sakura asked as Yugito looked away from the other girl, saying that it was a long story.

"Anyways, breakfast will be ready soon, so get dressed and be down in a few minutes. After that we're going to do some training," Kakashi said before leaving as the two girls got dressed, Sakura making sure that Kakashi didn't try peeping on them. Feeling a shiver come up his back, Kakashi looked back to the room, scowling. _Sakura-chan must be thinking that I would peek at them. Geeze, what did her brother say about me? I'm not __**that**_ _bad._ He thought to himself as he saw Sasuke and Naruto sitting down, Sasuke's hair a mess of black that ran to the back of his neck and a tired Naruto. Doing a double-check; he realized that Naruto had rings under his eyes.

"Sasuke? What's wrong with Naruto?" Kakashi asked in concern for his Genin as Naruto just looked up before returning to his position before, his head on his hands and arms.

"He was doing the Academy's chakra control training exercise with leaves and rocks with several clones of his. He passed out after letting all of them disappear at once," Sasuke said in a bored tone, before going back to his breakfast and as the two girls came down dressed in their usual clothes, both seeing Naruto barely eating the oatmeal in front of him. Both stopped as they saw him for a few seconds, before they came down, Tsunami placing a bowl of oatmeal down for them as well when they sat down at the table.

"I'm sorry that it's something as simple as this…," Tsunami said as all replied that it was good.

"Actually, a simple meal such as this is good for shinobi Tsunami-chan, it was very good by the way," Kakashi said as he was already finished, the Genin and Yugito looking at him in shock. _How did he eat that quickly?_ They all thought before he returned to sitting down where he was, watching them eat, instead of having his book out (due to a threat of a frying pan to his head if he read those damnable books in front of her child), he patiently waited for the shinobi to finish up, the young civilian child not yet up. After they finished, he ordered Naruto to get some rest and the others to follow him. "Tazuna-san, by your estimate, how far along are you on the bridge?"

"We should be finished by the end of the week, assuming that you and your team can protect me long enough to do it."

"Alright. Yugito-chan, I hate to ask you of this, but can you watch over the bridge-builder today?" Kakashi asked as Yugito looked at Kakashi as if he had a second head. When she asked why she was ordered to look after the old man, even though she wasn't a part of Team Seven. Kakashi responded that he was doing what he thought was best, which was giving Yugito a temporarily place in Team Seven. Scowling, she knew that she couldn't do anything about it without causing a huge scene, so she just went with it, and it was probably a good idea as well since she was still mad at the blonde that was asleep right now. "…fine, but I don't have to like this," was all she said as Kakashi nodded, glad that she wouldn't cause problems. Of course, forgetting to tell Yugito about Ark's threat to his team was a bonus.

"You won't be missing much as I train these two, I promise," Kakashi said as Yugito just nodded, not entirely trusting the Jounin. As Tazuna came out, Kakashi thanked the old man for providing them with a house over their heads and food in their bodies, but Tazuna just waved it off as saying that he was repaying their kindness the only way he knew how. Yugito made herself known to the man, and the both of them headed off to do their respective jobs: Tazuna his daily job and Yugito making sure his daily job got done. As the two left for the bridge, Kakashi turned back to Sasuke and Sakura, "alright you two, follow me." He said as he headed for the forest near the house.

If the two knew what Kakashi had in store for them, they both would have run in the other direction.

* * *

Itachi waited in the Hokage's office, waiting for what he wanted him to do. A few minutes earlier, Itachi gave his report about how most of the shinobi in the Uchiha clan were scheming to overthrow the Hokage and place Fugaku as the new Godaime Hokage. Luckily, no one knew that Itachi was gaining this information for the Hokage, and giving the council members and his father false information about the defenses of the Hokage Tower. Hearing a sigh as Sarutobi put down the folder that contained his report, Itachi stood once again at attention.

"Sometimes I hate being the Sandaime Hokage, and this is unfortunately one of them. I cannot let this go on passively, but the only proof I have is of your word Itachi-kun. Therefore, I cannot give you an official mission, but some action does need to be taken. I don't want to ask you this question, but with the information you have gathered, I cannot overlook this. Are you willing to commit genocide in order to save Konohagakure?"

At the suddenness and serious question, Itachi stood there in shock for a few moments. He didn't show it, of course, but what the Hokage asked him to do was a serious task. He wanted him to kill his clan. His friends, his family, and his girlfriend, among many others would perish…he thought of everything that this hidden mission consisted of. "If I may ask you one question Hokage-sama, what about the Uchiha civilians?" he asked as Sarutobi sighed.

"Usually, I would say spare them…but in this special case, you can spare no one. For if we spare the civilians, they will come to hate me and Konoha, and with this hatred, they would become shinobi, and then the whole cycle would happen again. Therefore, you can spare no one in your clan Itachi."

As he said this, Itachi kept thinking over the effects that this would have on Konoha, and then he remembered Gabrella, his cousin. To his knowledge, she knew nothing about the coup de tat, and it would be a shame to have to kill her for something she didn't do. "If I take this mission and become a nuke-nin, can I make a request?"

"It depends on what you want Itachi-kun," Sarutobi asked as Itachi told him about his cousin and his brother, wanting to spare the both of them…both from the massacre and the knowledge of why it happened in the first place. "Alright, I will allow them to not learn of the events and help her train in unlocking her Sharingan when the time comes. Sasuke-kun is on a mission, so he should be safe. Afterwards, I have a feeling you will be offered a position in an organization that my student is keeping tabs on, Akatsuki."

"And you want me to join in order to give you information?" Itachi asked, wanting confirmation from the Hokage, to which Sarutobi gave him by nodding. "As long as you can keep Gabi safe, then I'll do it. I won't like it, but I'll do it…for the sake of Konoha," knowing that his requests would be met. Thinking it over, he went over to the door before he looked back at the Hokage, "Three days, and then I'll start this. I just want you to promise me that when she's one of the last Uchiha that she isn't turned into a breeding tool for the Council. If that happens, I will come back and kill everyone who thought of it," he said as killer intent flooded the room for a second before he left.

Sighing, Sarutobi removed the privacy scrolls that were activated as he was talking to Itachi before sitting back in his chair. Looking at the folder one more time, he placed his hand under the desk and moved one side of the desk to the left as a secret drawer opened up. He placed it inside that compartment before kicking the side of his desk, the secret drawer closing up. "Why did I take this job again?" he asked himself as the ANBU around him chuckled lightly, causing the leader of Konoha to sigh lightly.

* * *

Naruto groaned lightly when he woke up, the muscles in his back slightly protesting as he got up. Looking around, he was still mad at what he and Hosaki did to Yugito. Thinking back to what everyone said about the two of them, he was still confused as to what they meant. Even if they meant that he should try courting her, it would never work. Not only did she smell like a cat, but after everything that happened yesterday, he doubted that she would even talk to him again.

**Don't worry about it Naru-kun. What has happened has happened and there is nothing we can do to change it and besides…even if Yugito-chan does smell like a cat because she holds the Nibi, I have an idea that can help you master your phobia and use the Nekoken whenever you want.**

_Really? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?_

**Because I need Hikaru-chan's help and her permission before I even think of starting it. Now then, it's time to get up, and I'm converting 10% of my youki to your weights until you reach your teammates. Now then, I suggest you get moving.**

_Yes ma'am._

**Furthermore…I think you should tell Kakashi-sensei what you were doing. He suspects something is up and didn't buy it when you said you were training. Just make sure to explain it that you are learning to use my youki as a last resort or something to that effect. If he knows then we may be able to train without having to make it a secret.**

_...If you think that is the best option Saki-sensei._ He thought to his tenant before getting up out of the bed that was provided for him, feeling the weight take effect almost instantly. Grunting as he moved towards the stairs, he grabbed hold of the railing before making his way carefully down the stairwell, making sure not to crack the wood that made up the stairs.

"You're already up Naruto-san?" Tsunami asked as Naruto nodded, her son tiredly looking at him, not believing that a kid twice his age could bounce back from fatigue that quickly. "Kakashi-san said that he took the others out to train and Yugito-chan to protect father," she said as Naruto looked at her strangely. Why would Kakashi-sensei have Yugito protect the bridge-builder, unless…and at this, both Hosaki and Naruto realized that they fucked up big time. Realizing the mess that they both made, Naruto already had his hands in the cross-like seal, "Hosaki Kage Bunshin no jutsu," he said quickly and quietly as Hosaki made herself known; however, she was in her human version, so as to not scare anyone else.

_**I'll head towards Yugito-chan; you head off to your team for training. The youki supplying the weights will dissipate when you reach the destination.**_ Hosaki thought spoke to him, Naruto nodding as they both headed out the door, Naruto to training and Hosaki to the bridge, hopefully being able to patch up the relationship between the two blonde jinchuurikis.

* * *

Naruto made his way towards the others, who were just starting to make their way onto tree-climbing. Kakashi saw Naruto head into the area, raising his eyebrow when the young man breathed a sigh of relief, not knowing that the weight while walking just released itself. "Naruto, what are you doing here? Didn't I order you to rest?"

"I did Kakashi-sensei, honest."

"I don't believe you," Kakashi said as Sakura cast her two cents in, saying that Naruto never needed a lot of sleep. _Maybe because of the fox then…_Kakashi thought as mused on the subject for a few seconds. "Alright then, I apologize for doubting you Naruto-kun. Now then, just like what I did for Sakura-chan and Sasuke-kun, I want you to channel chakra into this," Kakashi said as he handed a piece of paper to Naruto. Looking at him confused, Kakashi explained that every shinobi or kunoichi is attuned with at least one element, two if a person was lucky. When he said this, Sakura looked away in shame lightly as Kakashi explained how the paper worked.

"Can I ask about Sakura-chan and Sasuke-kun?" Naruto asked as Kakashi nodded.

"Sasuke's paper burned completely, yet before the embers fell to the ground, some of them crumbled into themselves, which makes me think that he has a small attribute towards lightning and a large attribute to fire, which doesn't surprise me since the Uchiha were known for their Katon jutsus. Although…Sakura-chan surprised me, seeing as she doesn't have any elemental attributes. She and I have a theory that it's due to her using her cards that she doesn't have one, but it's only a theory."

"Alright…" Naruto said as he channeled chakra into the tiny piece of paper. However, when he did, Kakashi's eye rose in disbelief. The paper was cut into four different quadrants; one quadrant burned itself completely in a regular red-orange fire, another section was cut into eight smaller sections by a strong wind, the third section was engulfed by water so much that it started to fall apart. The strangest thing of all and the thing that caused Kakashi's reaction was the final section. It broke into three smaller sections, but each one was a different combination of the first three; a super hot flame the color of white, which he remembered was also called flashfire, ice, and something that looked like steam or mist. _Interesting…I wonder which is his and which he gained from the Kyuubi. I'm pretty sure that sensei didn't have a bloodline limit that allowed him to fuse elements…_Kakashi thought to himself as he watched on in interest.

"Wow, I'm impressed Naruto. You have not one, but three separate element natures, along with the ability to fuse these elements together to create three different secondary elements," Kakashi said, all the while thinking that the legend of the Kyuubi said it could do things related to Doton and Suiton techniques, but then again, the legends could be wrong. Naruto grinned at this, causing him to think about things that he could do in the near future. While he was fantasizing over several things, he wasn't paying attention to Kakashi. "Naruto!"

"Yes Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, causing Kakashi to sigh at the antics of Naruto.

"I was telling you that since I know your elemental alignment, I can start training you in ninjutsu. However, first you need to raise the amount of chakra you can control and for that, you'll do the same thing that Sakura and Sasuke are doing right now: climbing trees." He said, noticing the confusing look that was on Naruto's face. Explaining, Naruto started to understand and as Kakashi gave him a kunai to practice, he stayed on the ground, his book in his hand, finally being able to read it after so long of being in that woman's house. _I can't see why she can't let me read on the roof…_he thought to himself as he kept an eye on his team, noticing their progress throughout the day.

Once Naruto fell to the ground after getting four steps up his respective tree, Kakashi looked onwards at the boy with a glance. _Shouldn't he be able to do this easily, especially after the incident with Tora?_ He asked himself, remembering how close to death he came due to a Genin going into a berserk-like state. Before Naruto could start up the tree again, Kakashi asked him to take a small break and come with him. Complying with him, he headed to an area away from the two Genin. Once far enough away, he turned around and stared Naruto in the face.

"You wanted to ask me something Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as Kakashi nodded.

"When you were in your berserk-like state during the mission we had with Tora, you had amazing chakra control, able to create several gouges into the earth, similar to how records state the Legendary Sucker, Senju Tsunade's usage of her chakra, yet now…"

"Now I have no control over my chakra?" Naruto asked as Kakashi nodded, not understanding anything. Sighing he started telling Kakashi what happened.

"Well you see…you know how the civilians of Konoha hate me, right? Let's just say that an instructor of martial arts for civilians, shinobi and kunoichi had a special art. He had several people help him kidnap me, tie me up and put several sausages, fish and other things that cats like on me and then booted me into a basement that held several cats. I have a feeling that if I "accidentally" went missing that no one would care, except for Sakura-chan. A week later, and after looking everywhere for me, she finally saw me through the window of said instructor's dojo after everyone left, setting up more things so that the cats could try once again to kill me."

"Sakura stepped in to save you?" Kakashi asked as he nodded, still slightly remembering how The Fight card was used to save him.

"After being rescued by Sakura-chan, I started acting like that, or as Sakura and I call it, Cat Mode, instead of its true name, which is the Nekoken. Only cold water or Sakura can get me out of it and as you saw, I lost my sanity and gained all those abilities. Unfortunately, I can only control my chakra extremely well while in that state." Naruto concluded as Kakashi nodded, telling him to go back to his training as he went back to his spot from before, continuing to watch the three. _Cat Fist…interesting.

* * *

_

Yugito was watching the builders doing their work, still annoyed at the blonde-haired boy, and now she was technically in the same team as the annoying blonde. Sighing as she kept an eye on Tazuna, she sensed a female presence coming up to the worksite.

"I'm sorry miss, civilians aren't allowed here," one of the workers said as they barred the entrance from a redhead. Sighing, she showed them her hitai-ate from Konoha, causing them to both move out of the way, knowing that she was here to help protect them while they built the bridge. Sitting next to the girl, Yugito looked at her curiously.

"Who are you?" she asked before she felt a small genjutsu being put around them both, causing Yugito to look at the girl next to her in anger and shock. Looking for any ways out, she noticed that this genjutsu was perfect, something that only a Genjutsu Master could cast.

"Don't worry, this genjutsu is harmless and only allows the people outside to see us two watching the builders. This way, I can do this without anyone freaking out," she says before changing into her Yoko form, causing the girl to hiss lightly.

"You! You're the one who gave me the cold shoulder last time!" she yelled, causing the vixen to lower her head in shame.

"I…I was a little too quick to judge you yesterday Yugito-chan, especially since you and Hikaru-chan are the same as me and Naruto-kun," she said as Yugito just listened, wondering why she should trust her and voiced her concerns to the demon fox.

"I'm going to tell you something that only a few people of Konoha know, and I am going to share something with you that is an S-class secret of Konoha, so I severely hope you can keep it to yourself. If not, well then…" she said, leaving the young girl to nod quickly, not wanting to dwell on the thoughts that she meant. "Alright then…you said you wanted to know the reason why Naruto knew about Hikaru, correct?" she asked as Yugito nodded, causing Hosaki to grin lightly and continue, "The reason Naruto and I know about Hikaru is because my name is Hosaki," pausing as she saw the look of recognition flash in Yugito's eyes. "I assume that Hikaru-chan told you that I am also the Kyuubi no Yoko, correct?"

"And Naruto-kun is your jailor…just like I am the jailor for Hikaru-oka-san?" Yugito asked as Hosaki nodded. "If you knew…then why didn't you tell me?" She asked angrily as Hosaki explained to her as she explained it to Naruto; she could have still been an enemy to him and his friends. If there was one thing that Naruto cared for, it was for the small amount of people who called him his friend, companion or ally. "He's lucky…to have the Hokage look after him though."

"What do you mean? Didn't the Raikage help you?"

"No…he puts more focus on his brother, the jinchuuriki for the eight-tailed ox. He didn't care much for me…it was only until Ark-nee-kun and Bya-nee-chan came into my life that I was safe from the mobs and able to sleep." Yugito said; glad to be out of that damnable village. However, what she didn't expect was that the fox lady asked if this Raikage was still alive and if she wanted him killed in a painful manner, causing her to grin.

"There we go…friends?" Hosaki asked as Yugito nodded. "Good. Now then, you said Hikaru-chan had some lapses in her memory?" she asked as Yugito once again nodded, causing Hosaki to frown. "Hikaru-chan was one of my closest friends out of all the nine bijuu and anyone knew that if they attacked a neko then they would have to also deal with a kitsune or yoko as well." She explained, continuing to help Hikaru regain the memory that she lost due to the process of sealing. She would have to ask the Hokage if she could teach Yugito the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu so that she could do the same thing with Hikaru that Naruto did with Hosaki; a body of her own.

Hearing that Yugito wasn't allowed to sleep though made the Queen of the Kitsune Clan very annoyed, and if it wasn't for the fact that Yugito turned out the way she had, she would have marched over there and destroyed the Village Hidden within the Clouds. Cats did like their naps after all…

She was pulled out of her musings when Yugito called her name.

"-chan, you can call me 'Hosaki-chan' little kitten," causing Yugito and Hikaru to scowl at another nickname for her. She didn't mind the nickname per say, it was just that she only allowed Hikaru and her adoptive siblings to call her anything resembling kitten.

"If you're jailor is Naruto-kun Hosaki-chan, then how do you have your own body?" the female jinchuuriki asked, causing Hosaki to look down at the ground lightly, knowing that this would eventually come up.

"Unfortunately, the reason I have a faux body such as this is because there is a technique that is exclusive to Konoha. Naru-kun learned it from the Scroll of Forbidden Techniques, so I cannot teach it to you now; however…" she started to say before being interrupted by Yugito, getting the same idea.

"However, if I join Konoha, I can learn this technique."

"Not only will you learn it; I will make damn sure that I'm the one to teach you. Hokage's permission or not," she said, causing her to blush lightly in embarrassment, thanking her lightly for willing to teach her a forbidden technique of Konohagakure. "Now then, I'm going to go back to my human form and release the genjutsu. Then what do you say about the both of us protecting the bridge builder and his fellow workers from any harm today, hm?" she asked as Yugito agreed with the idea.

Soon after, Hosaki did exactly that as the two girls watched the carpenters and other builders do their work, time passing for everyone in Wave as Team Seven trained and the two ladies watched onwards, not knowing what would happen in the future. Her thoughts about helping Naruto with his cat problem could wait a little longer after all.

* * *

The three Genin came towards the house, tired beyond all senses of the word. Kakashi was heading back at a more leisurely pace, glad at the progress that all three of his Genin made throughout the day at tree-climbing. He knew they were tired, but he also knew they advanced very quickly. In fact, tomorrow he would probably add a twist to it; throwing blunt kunai at the three while they were climbing…and if they did that quickly then, and only then, would he think about teaching them the water walking technique.

"Kakashi-san, put that damn book away before I introduce you to a frying pan," Tsunami said as they entered the house, causing the Jounin to sigh before putting his literature away in one of his pockets as both Inari and Tsunami set the table, saying that the two of them were enough. Soon after, the door opened again as Tazuna and Yugito appeared, the youki overriding the kinjutsu.

"We're home," both Yugito and Tazuna said, Kakashi and Tsunami welcoming them back respectively, Tsunami lightly kissing her father on the cheek for coming home alive.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, you two. Wash up," she said as both nodded and headed to the bathroom. Coming back inside, the family of three ate with the three shinobi and two kunoichi and soon after everyone was done and helped Tsunami clean up, even against her claims that they wouldn't know where anything went.

"Tsunami-chan, if they want to help, then let them. Less time with you cleaning up in the kitchen and more time with us," Tazuna said before Tsunami sighed, knowing when she was beat.

"Alright…," was all she said as she kept an eye on them, answering the question of where something went every few seconds and soon, the kitchen was completely spotless, causing Tsunami to lightly grin. _Maybe I should ask them to come and do this more often…a D-rank mission, right? _She thought to herself before giggling lightly at the idea. Afterwards, she noticed that everyone was slightly yawning. "Perhaps it would be a good idea for everyone to head to bed?" she asked as Kakashi agreed to it, saying that it was a good idea.

"Kakashi-san?" Yugito asked as Kakashi looked at the girl curiously. "If it's not too much trouble, I'll take first watch." She finished, to which Kakashi put his hand to his chin, thinking about it for a few minutes, not knowing that Yugito was waiting for his answer.

"Alright, I'll let you take first watch. Besides, Ark-kouhai might come back sooner than we think," he said, causing the girl to blush. _Figures that she wants to see Areku-kun so badly. Then again, he did say she's like a daughter to him._ He thought to himself, before everyone else turned in for the night, including himself, as Yugito went outside before jumping up into a tree, finding comfort there, hearing a small amount of giggling before she sighed, telling her mother to hush.

"**But if I do that, you won't get to hear some of my adventures before I was sealed in you. I don't remember everything though…"**

_That's alright mama. I like hearing about your adventures from when you said you were human and helped two friends save a world. If I remember correctly, you said that place was called Cephiro, right?_ Yugito asked as Hikaru nodded, before she started retelling her about her adventures. Halfway paying attention to what her mother was saying in order to pass the time and to keep herself awake, the other half keeping an eye on the forest and the shadows that it created.

Using the moon for an estimate of time, she noticed that her shift was just about up. Jumping down from the tree branch that she was on, she used a little chakra in order to soften the jolt she got when her feet hit the solid and unforgiving ground. However, before she could go inside and head to Kakashi's room in order to wake the Jounin up, she saw a figure coming out of the shadows. Not knowing if it was friend or foe, she quickly and subtly slid a kunai into the underside of her palm, ready to use if the need arose.

"Koneko-chan, relax, it's just me," Ark said, carefully, hiding the pain as best as he could, causing Yugito to relax when he heard his voice, grinning when she saw him. However, that grin turned into a state of shock as she saw several singe marks on Ark's clothing, most, if not all of the jacket and leather were burnt to a black-like state. One arm was hanging limply next to him, his other arm being draped over his companion, shouldering his weight. Ark also had several wounds on his body, some were just light scratches; however, there were some that were deep and in some places it looked as if the skin, bones, and muscles collapsed into themselves as if they were crushed very severely

"Ark-nee-kun!" She said in alarm as she rushed towards him, finally noticing her older sister being the one that was holding the gunslinger up. She had similar wounds as him, but she had more singes on her body than Ark did, and she could lightly hear the sound of her having trouble breathing. Her two swords also had small cracks on it, which meant that someone had to have a lot of strength in order to do that. "What happened Bya-nee-chan?" She asked in alarm before opening the door to Tazuna's house for them.

"Remember those two men that I went with to protect you?" Byakuya asked as Yugito nodded lightly. "Areku-teme and I were fighting them. As you can see, we didn't get away from the battle without our share of scars," she pauses as she hisses in pain lightly, her internal injuries starting to affect her, bringing her hand up to her mouth as she started coughing blood.

"Do you want help Bya-nee-chan?" Yugito asked as Byakuya shook her head saying that she just needed a place to put the bastard down. Looking at her oddly, she showed her to the couch. Putting him down on it, she made sure that he was lying down on it before stumbling for a few minutes. With the speed of a cat, Yugito was instantly by her side, holding her weight with her body, using some of Hikaru's chakra in order to not fall down. "Let me take you to my room nee-chan, that way you can sleep…and hopefully regain your strength," she said with authority, Byakuya knowing that she couldn't say no against the way she said that, allowing Yugito to lead her to Yugito's bed. Carefully letting her surrogate sister down on her bed, Yugito went to Kakashi's room, already awake and waiting for her to come in.

"He's back," was all that she said as Kakashi was about to ask who, when he realized that she was talking about Areku. However, the way she said it alarmed him. Shouldn't she be happy? "He's badly injured Kakashi-san…," she said as he asked where he was. When he learned that he was on the couch downstairs, he grabbed a small medical supply kit and then headed downstairs to where Ark laid. Yugito followed Kakashi as they both headed downstairs. After seeing Ark being taken care of by Kakashi, she left and headed back upstairs to find Byakuya sleeping and a mysterious girl was looking down at the person she considered family, using green chakra. "What are you doing to Bya-nee-chan?" she asked as she got a kunai out, ready to use it if she was hurting her.

"I'm healing her. Don't worry Yugito-chan, I will never harm your sister," she said as she went back to healing Byakuya.

"How can I trust you?"

"Trust me, or don't, I don't care. What I do care about; however, is Byakuya-chan's health. Now then, either get on the other side and offer support or get out of this room," she said causing Yugito to flinch at the tone before looking into the eyes of the person. Seeing no deceit or any bad intentions, she decided to trust this mysterious girl.

"Fine, I'll trust you…for now. Harm her though and you deal with an angry pussy cat," she said as the mysterious girl just laughed.

"You wouldn't have too…" She cryptically said as she continued healing Byakuya.

* * *

Dragon and Sword Master: And that's a wrap people. I know it's not much of a chapter, but the reason Areku and Byakuya are so bruised and bloodied will be explained next chapter. What do you guys think? A little backstory for Areku, the gunslinger of Konoha, along with some other things.

Yugito: Right, but um…who's that person healing Bya-nee-chan?

Dragon and Sword Master: Wait and see Yuu-chan. In addition, I am taking over a story from a very good author named Bill Alain: "Naruto: the Keyblade Master" and it's kind of odd to wake up with eight e-mails with favorite author additions as well as Author lists. Hopefully I'll be able to portray the story with the same way that he did. I just want to thank everyone who added me to their author watch lists (you know who you are)

Gabi: Hopefully everyone likes this chapter and if you do please don't forget to review!


	9. Haunted Pasts, Twisted Memories

Dragon and Sword Master: Sorry for the late update everyone, but with me back in school, it's hard for me to write, especially with the ultimatum that if I fail, my laptop is taken away, and I consider it my precious so yeah…

Naruto: You're just a slacker like Kakashi

Dragon and Sword Master: And for that, I will ban all ramen in Konoha for you.

Naruto: Wait, what? You can't do that!

Dragon and Sword Master: As the author, I play God, but since I'm in a good mood, you'll get some ramen…just not as much thanks to Sakura-chan. Once again, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I could give excuses but it boils down to the fact that I, unfortunately, have a real life and I deal with problems in said life. Sorry for re-uploading this, I keep forgetting to add lines...in addition, for all the people who just add this story to your favorite story/story alert lists...can you please leave a short review? I hate to ask this but 13 new favorite story/alert lists and no reviews is kinda disheartening...

* * *

Chapter 09: Haunted Pasts, Twisted Memories

Yugito was sleeping in a chair, the mysterious person putting a blanket over her as she succumbed to sleep an hour ago. The green glow of her hands finally faded away. She looked at the young woman and smiled lightly, still remembering when that gun-wielding bastard gave her the task of keeping an eye on the young Yugito. Smiling one last time at the girl, she faded away, Byakuya's injuries finally healed and a small smile was on the raven-haired beauty. As Byakuya's healer faded away, she had one final thought that she whispered.

_I wonder what she's dreaming about… _

_**Flashback**_

_The afternoon sunrays slowly crept into the hospital room as it shined over the two occupants. One was a small female about thirteen or fourteen in age lay in the bed, her black hair falling to her shoulders as she rested under the sheets. The other, a young man of about fifteen or so, was sitting in the chair across from the bed, his white hair covering his face as he slept, if his snoring was any indication. As the rays danced across the room, one hit her sleeping form slowly stirring the sleeping beauty. Soon, she revealed her storm-gray eyes to the world as she took in her new surroundings. For one, she noticed she wasn't in that tube anymore or that horrid place that mad man called a lab. Thinking of the hellish place, the female placed a hand over her right shoulder where, underneath her clothing, an intricate seal laid. _

_Sighing to herself, she once more looked around at her new surroundings, the ceiling and floor being white, with a single door and window for entry. Leaning up in the bed, she finally noticed the young man that sat in the chair next to her. Noticing a headband around his neck, she instantly thought that she was his prisoner. Not quite trusting him, or where she was, she slowly started to slip out of the bed. Figuring that it would be best to quickly run away from her (to her anyway) imprisoned room, she slowly tiptoed to the door, not trying to wake the young shinobi. However, just as she reached the door, a voice spoke out, causing her to stop in her tracks._

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you," The female jumped, quickly turning around to find the voice coming from the white-haired shinobi. _

"_And why shouldn't I?" She responded, her body quivering in fear. While she knew that the seal placed on her did something to make her body stronger, she doubted that she could take on a trained shinobi such as the one in front of her. Hearing a sigh, the young man slowly got up, stretching from his nap, his eyelids lifting to reveal red-wine colored eyes, looking back at her. _

"_Because," He responded, "Ban-chan and I would be extremely crossed with you if the princess we saved suddenly disappeared without a trace." The female couldn't help but laugh slightly at what the white haired called her. Her, a princess? Hardly, she thought to herself. Seeing her still tense, the shinobi just sighed._

"_Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. I am Tenjin Areku, but most people just call me Ark," He started, "And you?"_

"_Ku…Kuchiki Byakuya."_

_**End flashback**_

A sigh escaped her lips as the memory ended, her storm-gray eyes meeting the darkness of the night that covered the room. Her eyes darted across the room to take in her surroundings, noticing her imouto was sleeping peacefully on a chair. Slowly, she rose from the bed, a soft wince exiting her mouth as the pain from the battle hours before ran up her spine.

_I should be grateful to her for healing me as well as she did. Otherwise, I would be as bad as… _Her eyes widened as she remembered her bloody companion. Throwing her legs over the bed, she quickly stood up and slowly headed downstairs, taking care not to wake anyone. As she got closer to the first floor of the two-story house, a small thump reached her ears. Silently, she went downstairs, thinking that an intruder had entered the house. When she reached the last step, she quickly darted across the door opening to the wall, hoping to hide behind it to catch the intruder off guard. Turning her head slightly around the corner, Byakuya could only sigh in annoyance at what she saw. In the room before her, Ark stood. Well, more as if he was trying to stand. His body, much like hers, was bandaged up from what she assumed Kakashi's and that brunette girl's first aid. Before her, he moved slowly towards his belt, his unbroken, but still bandaged, arm reaching for his weapons. Having an idea on what he was going to do, Byakuya stepped into the room.

"You know, you're going to reopen your wounds if you move like that," she said as she leaned in the doorway, the moonlight from the window giving her a slight glow about her. With a quick turn, Ark had Shimo loaded and aimed at the intruder. Sensing who it was, the dragon lowered his weapon before sighing.

"You know it takes more than these chicken scratches to keep me down," he grinned before going back to his business with his pouch. Checking his equipment, he nodded to himself before using his right arm to strap the belt around his waist, his other arm damaged in the fight. Quickly standing, she swiftly walked over to her former teammate.

"You know, you're going to get yourself killed." She said, having an idea what the white-haired man before her was thinking as she pushed him back down to his makeshift bed.

"Oh ho!" Ark's grin widened, "Is Bya-hime actually worried for little old me?"

"Teme," she growled as she took his belt away from him and placed it alongside his weapons. "I only worry about you because if you died, Yugito-chan wouldn't stop crying for days." Taking a seat next to the Hyouton user, Byakuya quickly looked at the damage to his body.

"Stupid Kakashi," She grumbled, quickly removing some bloody bandages and replacing them with new ones. "Once we get back, I am going to teach him a thing or two about first aid." Hearing this, Ark couldn't help but chuckle. This caused him to strain some of his wounds, which made him end up wincing instead.

"Baka!" She hissed. "If you move anymore, you could start bleeding out even more!" Quickly going through some hand seals, Byakuya activated the shousen jutsu (mystical hand technique) to heal Ark's bleeding wound. Sighing, Ark looked away as his former teammate's glowing green hands started to heal him.

"It seems that all I do is cause you pain and worry Byakuya." Ark mumbled, mostly to himself. "First Ban, then Yugito, now this…" Before he could finish his thought, a hard slap found his back, causing his body to spasm in pain.

"Itaaaaai!" He winced, turning to glare at her. "What was that for?" but the swordswoman just ignored him as she continued working. A few moments passed before the silence was broken.

"Do you really think that was him?" She asked softly. Sighing, Ark reached over to his belt, producing a cancer stick. Taking a small drag, he said.

"I really don't know." He breathed, wisps of smoke coming out of his mouth, irritating Byakuya to no ends. "If it isn't, it's a damn good imitation." Sighing, Byakuya got up, stretched and started to head back to her bed.

"Byakuya," She stopped in the doorway, turning her head slightly to look at the chain-smoker. "What if…" Her face scrunched up, as if she tasted something fowl.

"Baka," She said as she turned away. "If it is him, we will deal with it when the time comes. Otherwise, we just have to protect the young ones." She then continued up to her room. "They are still innocent and we should protect them from that as long as we can." She could practically feel the small grin coming from the blind gunner.

* * *

Sakura squinted as sunlight dug through the openings in the blinds, irritating her as she tried to turn over and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the sun would have none of that as its light continued attacking the brunette. Seeing that she was going to lose, Sakura got up, yawning as she did so. Helping Kakashi with Areku was a tiring task, but it was well worth it to see the young man still alive, especially since he was the one to save her from their traitorous sensei.

It took her a few seconds to remember where she was, especially since this was her first time outside of Konoha. After remembering where she was, she slowly got out of her room and headed to where the bathroom was. She sighed in relief as she felt warm water pass through her outstretched hand before stepping into the shower, making sure that it was a quick one. After her shower and getting dressed, she headed downstairs to meet up with her squad and Yugito…plus one additional person. The black-haired female had a sword across her back; the hilt seen only because the back ends of a white scarf draped over it. A complete contrast to the top she was wearing. In fact, the shirt was the only thing that was black. The parachute pants and elbow-length gloves were the same color as the scarf: a bright, and stale, white color. As Sakura was staring at the female in front of her, she didn't realize that the gray-eyes of the female were starting to glare at the brunette. It wasn't until her second sensei started talking that she stopped staring at the elder female.

"Morning Sakura-chan!" Ark beamed. Noticing the slight tension between the two, he said. "Don't mind Bya-hime here, she's not a typical morning person," At this, "Bya-hime" whacked him lightly for the bad joke. She just didn't like the fact that the young Sakura was staring at her so intensely. Sakura then looked at Ark strangely, "Bya-hime?" she repeated, not sure as to how the raven-haired female got that nickname.

"It's short for Byakuya, this stupid idiot over here got it in his head that I'm a princess of some sort and it stuck. Don't even think of calling me that Sakura-san," she said, Sakura nodding meekly as she went to sit next to her teammates as Tsunami gave her a bowl with some food in it, Yugito sitting next to Byakuya, glad to see that most of her wounds healed overnight.

Ark stood up slowly, hissing lightly as his wounds caused him pain. Seeing this, Kakashi looked on in concern and was about to voice it, when the young gunslinger said that he was fine.

"You don't look fine to me Ark," Kakashi said as Ark returned to the table. "What happened with you and Byakuya-san?" He asked as Ark straightened up and got a little angry at the memory.

"I'd rather not talk about it sempai," was all that Ark said as Kakashi stared at him. There was no way in hell Ark and his female companion could come in last night looking like hell just spat them out without giving any details.

"I'm sorry, but I need to know. Our mission might be compromised because…" Kakashi started to say as Ark interrupted him.

"Inu-chan, I don't want to talk about it," he said before getting up, ignoring the pain that laced through his wounds and headed outside. Byakuya glared at the Cyclops before heading out after the gunslinger, only seeing him pulling out another one of those damnable cigarettes. Before he could place it into his mouth and light it, she snatched the cancer stick and stomped on it, effectively destroying the thing.

"What did I tell you about those things?" She asked him with a murderous glare, as all he did was laugh lightly.

"Not to smoke in front of you…I think is what you said the first time I did it," he stated, bringing back a few memories, both good and bad. Shaking his head, he noticed that Byakuya was a few paces ahead of him, quickening his pace to catch up. If he waited a few minutes longer, he would have seen Kakashi's Kage Bunshin appear out the door to follow the ninja duo.

After a few paces, Byakuya and Ark both sensed someone following them. Byakuya sighed and told Ark that she would handle it before she went back to see her young charge trying to follow them.

"Yugi-chan, the two of us will be back late. This matter deals with some personal business between the two of us that we must work out."

"Does it involve what happened…?" Yugito started to ask before Byakuya nodded. "Then why can't you explain it to me? Both of us were in that hellhole…and I want to know why you wanted me to leave you behind."

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you…maybe one day, but not now. I promise on my honor that we will be back later," Byakuya said as Yugito stared at her. "Besides, when have I ever lied to my favorite neko-chan?" She asked as she ruffled her hair affectionately. "Now then, go back to the house and protect the client."

"Alright…" she said, not sure why her older sibling figures were being so secretive all of a sudden, but then again, they were shinobi and kunoichi after all. Byakuya stopped and headed back towards Ark as Yugito just stood there, watching them go. Sighing, she turned around and headed back towards the client's house, a slight frown on her face.

* * *

Yugito looked at the Jounin curiously, as she was coming back with a small frown on her face, as she saw a clone of him appear. "What are you planning Kakashi-san?" She asked as she eyed the clone before it headed off as the original went back inside, motioning the young blonde to follow him.

"As I said before, I need to know what's going on, especially since it could affect the mission. I'm a little worried…never once have I seen Ark that heavily hurt." Kakashi said, as the other four looked downwards guiltily. "There was nothing we could do and until I know what's going on, we're going to train. If someone can hurt Ark-san as badly as that, then I want to make sure you're able to at least survive if we encounter them." Kakashi said as the Genin looked at him as if he grew a second head as Yugito just listened, not caring since she wasn't part of the team.

"What do you want us to train in Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, grinning at the prospect of a new jutsu, but wasn't able to hear Kakashi's response as he then heard his tenet speak.

**Actually, Naru-kun, I'd like to start training you with my youki instead.** Hosaki said as she listened to what Kakashi was saying. Before Naruto could protest, she explained to the blonde that whatever the Cyclops was teaching them; that he could learn it later. **In fact, a shadow clone could probably stand in for you.**

_But Hosaki-chan, I highly doubt I can fool Kakashi-sensei with a Kage Bunshin, especially if it's going to train in my place, unless I flood it with my chakra…_and at that moment in time, something brilliant happened: the birth of the Koudo Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Advanced Shadow Clone Technique). Hosaki giggled a little as she saw the wheels turning in Naruto's head. In fact, as Hosaki kept watching the idea form and take on ideas, she thought of how she could use it to her own benefits and go around the annoying problem of overloading a clone… _**That might actually work…**_ she thought to herself as she started working on ideas that included the new clone.

Rubbing the back of his head nervously, Naruto gave out a sigh. "I'm sorry sensei, but I already promised Tsunami-chan to catch some fish for supper tonight," as soon as the word "fish" popped out of Naruto's mouth, Yugito lifted her face up in excitement.

"Fish, where?" Yugito asked, blushing when everyone looked at her funny. Blushing, Yugito couldn't help looking embarrassed at what just happened.

"Don't worry about it Yugito-chan, I'm the same way with ramen," Naruto said, causing Yugito to blush more. "If you want, you can come and help," he continued, rubbing the back of his head, lightly

"I think it would be best if you sent a clone with Yugito-san, Naruto. Your clones can't do the physical training that I am about to put you through for you, even if they can do pretty much everything else. This way, at least Yugito-san can still call for help if she is in trouble." Kakashi said, not entirely happy with the situation, but he knew the jinchuuriki would never go back on a promise, that was just the way he was.

"Then I guess it's a date, right Yugi-chan?" Naruto asked as the female blonde blushed and nodded. What he didn't notice though, was the small glare Sakura was giving to their newly found female friend. Sakura didn't know why she was glaring at both blondes, but it felt like the right thing to do.

* * *

A few miles away in the depths of the forest, Ark and Byakuya had a chill run up both their spines.

"For some reason I just got the feeling to pummel the little blonde brat." Byakuya said suddenly, which Ark could only nod in agreement, knowing which blonde brat they were thinking of.

"Hopefully he didn't do something stupid to our adopted Imouto…" Ark said as Byakuya nodded.

* * *

If anyone else were around, then he or she would be laughing at Yugito. She usually didn't act all giddy and was able to conduct herself as a normal kunoichi…except when the mention of fish came around, only then was she as giddy as a fan girl was. Yugito blamed her mother for her addictiveness to fish, but she couldn't help it, it was in her blood. She didn't even mind that Naruto created a clone to help fish, but it was better than being by herself, especially what happened that one time before…no, she swore she would never think about the hellhole that was Kumogakure.

"Yu-chan? Naruto to Yu-chan…you in there?" the clone asked, as the girl lightly swatted his hand away as a reflex, surprised to have actually felt the hand that was in her face just a few minutes ago.

"How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You're a clone. My understanding of clones is that it's an E ranked jutsu, capable of fooling people into thinking you made copies of yourself, but you're not suppose to be able to touch it. Yet, I just touched you, and you have a shadow. How?" Yugito asked, extremely curious as to how one of Naruto's jutsus worked.

"Curious?" Naruto teased, getting a glare at the bad joke from the blonde. "Alright, alright, yeesh," the clone replied as he took a scroll out of his vest pocket and placed it on the ground. He then transferred some chakra into it and his sword appeared out of it. "If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone this information, understand?" Naruto asked seriously, getting a slight nod out of Yugito, not expecting him to become serious all of a sudden.

"Alright, you have my word as a fellow Jinchuuriki," Yugito stated as she looked at him, making sure to pay close attention. The clone stared into her eyes for a few moments before nodding.

"Now then, you can go back to the boss if you have any questions about the jutsu, but from his understanding of it, and ours in a sense, is that he splits his chakra up evenly in order to create one of us, a solid clone. The more chakra he puts into the jutsu, the more clones he makes."

"It sounds like something Hosaki-chan said a while back to me when she apologized for your actions," Yugito said as Naruto nodded, remembering the fact that Hosaki did tell him what happened before he started the tree climbing exercise, before continuing on with his explanation about the jutsu.

"The jutsu is actually a kinjutsu for several reasons, and I'll leave it to the boss to tell you himself. Now then, how about I catch us some fish?" He asked as Yugito nodded eagerly, causing the clone to chuckle lightly and pick the sword up once again, the clone choosing to omit the theory from his explanation.

"Now then, how are we going to fish Naruto?" Yugito asked as Naruto just grinned like a fox, and like everyone else, would come to know just why people called him the most unpredictable shinobi of Konoha.

"I don't know about you Yugi-chan, but I plan on fishing…like this." He said as he sent some of his chakra into the blade and flung it out, causing a wave of chakra to crash into the lake, and causing several fish to land next to them. Of course, the backlash was that the results of the wave soaked both the clone and Yugito, causing Yugito to growl at him menacingly.

**Kitten…calm down, he probably didn't mean it…** Hikaru said, in hopes of calming Yugito down.

_Kaa-san, he did it on purpose!_

**You don't know that…**Hikaru started to say but Yugito interrupted her by showing her a memory of the fox-like grin that Naruto showed her just minutes before. **Well then…how about we outfox a fox, hm? Here's what you should do**, she said before telling Yugito exactly what to say.

"Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"When were you going to tell Bya-nee-chan that you were practicing with a sword? She would be glad to help you," she asked, causing the clone to look at her with an interested look.

"She could train the boss in kenjutsu?" He asked as Yugito just grinned and nodded, as both Hikaru and Yugito were thinking the same thing: _He won't know what hit him._ They didn't see that the clone gathered up all the fish in a net. "I think we should get these back to Tsunami-san for the time being though, and she can help her cook these." The clone said as he headed back towards the clearing, Yugito following him. Soon after, the pair met up with Team Seven and Naruto took the fish and dispelled the clone, getting a few things from the clone in the process.

"Um…Yugito?" Naruto asked as the girl looked at the blonde, "After dinner…can I talk to you, alone?" He asked as Yugito got a small blush on her face before agreeing to it.

"Perhaps I should go with you both, just to make sure nothing happens," Kakashi said innocently from behind his book, causing both Naruto and Yugito to blush.

* * *

A few miles away from the training clearing, a shiver went down Ark's spine. Byakuya raised an eyebrow at her companion as she noticed the strange look on his face. Before she could ask what was wrong, the Gunslinger scowled lightly. "I just got the feeling that sempai did something stupid again, and I'm not there to punish him for it…" Ark grumbled, before continuing to walk behind the black-haired swordswoman.

Byakuya could only nod in agreement. "And my pervert senses are tingling. Something happened to make Yugito embarrassed…" She started to say before they both stopped for a minute. They then looked at each other before only one word escaped both of their lips.

"KAKAAAAAASHHIIIIIIIIIII!"

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted in embarrassment as Kakashi casually flipped another page in his book before the Jounin felt two things. First, he felt Sakura-chan lightly glaring at him, but he felt something stronger coming from the left of him. Seeing no one there, he figured that it was merely his imagination playing tricks on him. After all, how were the dragon and the princess suppose to know his trick on the kitty? He shrugged his shoulders and headed inside.

Before long, the client's house, and the house that they were staying at, came into view. Kakashi did a small chakra pulse to sense for anything out of place, in addition to dispelling his clones, which also gave him the same information. Although he did blush lightly at the fact, that Tsunami asked his clones to help clean the house. After digesting the information from the clones, he opened the door and headed inside, the Genin following him shortly thereafter.

"Ah good, you're all back," Tsunami said as she looked up and saw the shinobi that her father hired, as well as the kunoichi that she saved a few days ago, grinning when she saw that Naruto brought back the fish he promised, but she didn't expect him to bring back that many fish at once. "Wow Naruto, that's a lot of fish. Thank you," she said as she went to take the fish from him. However, what surprised her was what he said next:

"If you don't mind, can I do the cooking for tonight?" He asked as Tsunami nodded, surprised at a male asking to cook. A few minutes later, dinner was served for everyone: Team Seven and Ark, Byakuya and Yugito, and Tazuna's family.

_Who knew that the gaki could cook like that?_ Byakuya thought to herself as she looked at the blonde male in a new light after finishing the fish that Naruto prepared. She was still a little angry with him, but it was something that she could deal with.

"The bridge is now almost complete, thanks to you all," Tazuna started speaking, before looking troubled at what he wanted to ask next.

"But…"

"Why are you still helping me, even though I lied about the request details? You could be home right now if you wanted to, so why?" Tazuna asked as Kakashi just looked at the old man for a moment

"Not doing right, when you know it is right is a coward's way and there are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander," Kakashi said as he only got confused looks from Tazuna and Tsunami.

"Even those are wise words from our previous Hokage, even the current and future Hokages can agree with that. In order to be a shinobi, you cannot be a coward. If you are under a leader who doesn't understand what being a coward is, then the men and women underneath the leader will also show no cowardice, but if you are under a leader who shows cowardice, then the men and women underneath the leader will also show cowardice." Ark said, noticing all shinobi and kunoichi nodding lightly, while both Tsunami and Tazuna had a look of understanding on their faces.

Inari just listened, both shinobi's words bringing back memories of his adopted father, both the good and the bad, as tears starting welling up in his eyes. Looking at Naruto and the others, he started getting angry. Slowly the tears fell from his eyes and onto the table before he looked up at the Jounin and glared at them both.

"Why are you all trying so hard that you end up like that? You can't beat Gatou's men even if you do train! No matter how hard you try and say those good-looking words…weak people will always lose against strong people!" Inari shouted in grief and anger.

"Shut up. I'm different from you, a person who doesn't believe in heroes anymore. I'll show you and this country that heroes still exist," Naruto said, infuriating the child even more.

"Just shut up! It pisses me off when I see all of you just come into this country and set up in here as if you lived here all your life! You don't know anything about this country, and you're so nosy! I'm different from you, someone who doesn't know any real pain and just laughs all the time! You say that heroes still exist, but that's a lie. Heroes only exist in stories to amuse little children…there is no such thing as heroes in this world!" Inari shouted, inadvertently pissing Naruto, and all of the other shinobi and kunoichi in the room.

"Is that why you keep fooling yourself into thinking that you're the main character in a tragedy and only suppose to keep on crying? An idiot like yourself can just keep crying for all I care, you crybaby!" Naruto shouted as he got off and headed out the door, doing his utmost to stay calm and not letting his emotions get the better of him, Sakura heading out after him a few minutes after he left.

Right after Naruto and Sakura left, a cold and shouldering pressure was starting to pressurize the room, causing the civilians to feel as if they were dying, the shinobi feeling a huge pressure on their bodies. The feeling got worse and soon, Tazuna and his family were struggling for every breath.

"Byakuya, stop," Ark said in a serious voice as he casually sipped his tea, the killing intent seemingly not affecting him. Byakuya changed her glare from the small boy to him, focusing her killing intent.

"Why should I?" She growled. "This little shit," at this, she pointed to Inari who looked ready to soil himself, "just insulted everyone we knew and what they stood for!" Ark just continued sipping his tea, Kakashi having moved Sasuke quickly out of the crossfire and came back. He merely leaned against the wall, his attention seemingly on his book, but he was really watching what was occurring before him.

"That may be so," The one-eyed Jounin said, flipping a page. "But he is a mere child who doesn't know what he is speaking of," Byakuya then turned her rage to the Cyclops.

"And what about you, Sharingan no Kakashi?" She growled once more. "Are you just going to sit by and listen while he insults Obito, Rin and Arashi?" At this, Kakashi growled back, putting his book away. The air in the room seemed to get even thicker, if that was possible.

"Careful of your next words Byakuya, they may just be your last," Kakashi grounded out, resisting the urge to attack her immediately after saying those damnable words.

"Enough!" Ark shouted, slamming his hands on the table. "You two are acting like children! Is this how one behaves in front of our clients?" At this, the air seemed to have thinned, Kakashi and Byakuya looking slightly embarrassed, but a small amount of anger still on their faces. Well Byakuya's at least, Kakashi was hard to tell. Sighing, Ark turned to the small family.

"Forgive us," He started with a small smile. "When you see friends die who have given your life for you, it's hard to stand by and watch someone insult their memory."

"Like you care," He heard Byakuya mumble. "I doubt you even felt remorse when you…" At this, she stopped mid sentence, the air suddenly becoming twice as thick and with a slight chill to it. Ark slowly got up from his chair and casually walked to the door.

"Excuse me while I get some fresh air," He said with a polite smile. As he walked towards the door, he stopped for a moment to stand next to Byakuya. "Don't you dare assume you knew how I felt when _that_ occurred." He hissed in a whisper. As the gunslinger exited the building, the air returned to normal once more.

Yugito wasn't sure what Ark meant by what he whispered to Byakuya, but whatever it was, it definitely pissed the older woman off. "Surely Ark-nii-kun didn't mean that nee-chan…," Yugito said, causing her sister to glare at her, causing Yugito to look down and away from the swordswoman.

"I think I'm going to bed. If I stay around here anymore, I may do something stupid," Byakuya said before turning around and heading upstairs. A few minutes later, everyone downstairs could hear the sound of the door being slammed shut. Yugito looked first towards the door where Ark left and then up the stairs to where Byakuya went, unsure of what to do.

"Go ahead and take care of your sister Yugito-chan, I'll take care of Ark," Kakashi said before the blonde female could interrupt. "I've seen him like this before, and I know the best way to help calm him down."

"Are you sure?" Yugito asked in concern for both of her adopted older siblings.

"Positive. Now go ahead and help Byakuya, while I help Ark," Kakashi said before he headed out the door, focusing on finding the gunslinger, Yugito hesitantly going up the stairs and to the same room that she shared with the swordswoman.

* * *

Naruto was practicing his dismal Taijutsu with a clone, anger clouding his mind from the encounter between that brat and himself. Growling from a cheap shot from his clone that went under his guard, Naruto went through a new set of hand seals, one of the few jutsus that Hosaki taught him after they both learned about his affinities.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!" Naruto shouted as he forced a strong gust of wind against the clone, causing it to dispel instantly. Naruto growled once again as he saw how easily the clone got into his guard. Then again, Taijutsu was never his strong suit, something that Hosaki swore to improve on before they got back home, if only a little. Before long, he was starting to pant, over exerting himself due to the events with that crybaby brat.

**Done?**

_Yeah, I think so. Thanks for not berating me for what I said._

**Normally, I would have. However, it seemed as if Inari needed to hear that, even if it was a little harsh. I'm just surprised you didn't blow anything up. **Hosaki said, causing Naruto to scowl.

_I don't blow stuff up; I just prank the hell out of people, you know that._

**Oh really? Then what about that one time, you placed those stink bombs into the toilets to get back at that teacher?**

…_we swore never to speak about that again._ Naruto said to Hosaki, getting a laugh out of the vixen, causing the boy to blush. He created another clone before feeling a presence nearby. Before anything could happen, he called out to her.

"Hey Sakura-chan, are you here to berate me for going overboard?"Naruto asked as Sakura came into the clearing, seeing him cooling down by beating himself up, literally. She was surprised not to see any holes in the ground

"Now why would I do that Naru-kun? You were in the right, he wasn't. I just came here to make sure you didn't blow something up, and if you did, help you in any way I could," Sakura said, heading closer to the blonde.

"Why does everyone think I blow shit up when I get mad? I have a vixen locked inside of me, so why not ask her for ideas at times and utilize them Uzumaki style?" Naruto asked, pouting as well, not noticing the Naruto-like grin on her face.

"What about the time we snuck into that one teacher's house and planted cherry bombs in all of his plumbing or the fact where school was closed because of a prank you did involving stink bombs mixed with a low amount of heat in the vents, hm?"

"Hey, you swore you'd never bring those things up again!" Naruto shouted as Sakura giggled, glad to see that Naruto was all right. A few minutes passed before the two of them started heading back, Sakura helping Naruto stand.

* * *

Yugito went upstairs and into their room hesitantly, not entirely sure what mood Byakuya would be in. Matter of fact, she never saw Byakuya that hurt or scared, or both at the same time, and it scared the Nibi Jinchuuriki.

"Bya-nii-chan?" Yugito asked carefully, not sure if she would be the next target of Byakuya's wrath.

"What do you want Imouto?" Byakuya asked tiredly, turning her head away from the window. After having their spat, the "princess" decided to retire to her room, opting to sitting on the window still. As she tried to sort her thoughts, her imouto just happened to walk in. Maybe the younger girl could help her with some insight into her dilemma. Taking that as her cue, the neko jinnchuriki stepped into the room.

"What was all of that back there? I've never seen you that pissed off…what happened between you and Nii-kun?" She asked softly. The swordswoman sighed lightly as she turned her gaze towards the full moon. It was a moment before the she spoke.

"War is a horrible thing Yugito. Seeing your fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, lovers die right before your eyes on blood soaked battle fields. All for the sake of protecting what you think is right in the world. To protect your right to exist because someone believes you shouldn't." She started softly, her eyes having a slightly glazed look as if remembering nightmarish times. "Before our relatively peaceful time now, there was an event that occurred called the Third Great Shinobi War." Yugito was wondering where she going with this, but decided to keep her mouth quiet. She didn't know if Byakuya would stop talking if she asked a question or not.

"During that war, there were three of us." The older woman continued. "We saw many horrible and nightmarish things, imouto, some I hope you never see." At this, a shiver couldn't help but run up the swordswoman's spine. "We saw friends give their lives so others to continue on, so that the mission could be finished. To have a snot nose brat say they weren't heroes…" The swordswoman sighed at this point. "Even back then, they were both protecting me, him and Ark." At this, Byakuya paused. Moments passed in silence before Yugito asked her question.

"Who was your third team mate Nee-chan?"

"Hmm?" She said. "Ah right." The swordswoman then turned her head towards the moon before answering the young demon container.

"His name was…"

* * *

"_Why are you doing this? Were we not comrades?" _

"_We stopped being comrades the moment you took her from me!"_

"_What are you saying?"_

"_STOP IT!"_

Ark grunted as he slammed his fist on the roof after that painful flashback. Sighing to himself, he turned his attention towards the forest, the moon's light wrapping around him giving him an ethereal like look.

'Will that memory continue to haunt me?" He thought to himself, phantom pains coursing through his body from times long since past. A particular large pain was from a large scar on his left pectoral, a reminder of that day. Shaking his head, he slowly took a scroll out from his pouch. Unrolling it, he bit his thumb, wiped some blood on the seal and an electric guitar with an ice blue body came into existence.

'Doesn't she understand?' He continued to think, lightly strumming the strings. While at first Ark did this to strengthen his fingers and thus his grip and increase accuracy with his throwing weapons (before being gifted with Shimo and Nobara), he now did it to relax and help gather his thoughts when his mind was a jumble.

"Does she even consider what I felt during that time?" He whispered to himself, his strumming becoming a little louder. Doesn't she understand the pain he was in constantly? Didn't she understand that he was living in pain having to remember day after day of killing his best friend right in front of her, after all the times they been through? The good times when they laughed, the sad times when allies died in front of them…Ark then started to stand up, his strumming becoming a good loud beat. Doesn't she feel the shame that he feels? The anger….the pain…..the burden of that moment…..

(A/N: We do not own this song that is about to be played.)

**Listen, a heartless shout  
Listen a heartless cry  
Listen, a heartless world**

Soon, Ark's fingers seemed to dance across the beautiful instrument, his soul seemingly in the lyrics.

**Listen, a heartless shout  
Listen a heartless cry  
Listen, a heartless world**

**I don't even know your fragrance  
I don't even know your actions  
All of my memories have been erased**

**I don't even know what it means to start over  
I don't even know what it means to survive  
If I think, who did I fall in love with?

* * *

**

Naruto and Sakura were starting to walk back to the house they were staying at before they heard something in the distance. It sounded so hurt…so depressed. They soon realized whose voice that was…it was Ark.

"I wonder what could cause him to get that depressed…" Sakura thought aloud as she and Naruto continued walking, the closer they got, the louder the sounds become.

"Good question, but I don't have an answer for it, sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto said as Sakura voiced that it wasn't a problem. They continued walking in relative silence, letting Areku's music be the only sounds in the night. "Still…I wonder what pissed Ark-sensei off so much though."

"Who knows," she answered before the two came to stand in front of the door. When she opened the door, the two noticed a somber, almost tense, mood going throughout the household. If it weren't for their shinobi training and looking underneath the underneath, then they would have had their weapons out within the instance that they came through the doors.

Soon, Naruto's sensitive hearing heard a crying noise coming from the back of the house. "He's still crying from what I said? I guess he's more of a crybaby then I thought." Naruto stated, sighing lightly as Sakura looked at him for a few seconds before he relented and sighed. "I'll go see if I can help him," was all that Naruto said as he growled lightly, annoyed that he was doing something like this, heading in the direction of where Inari was crying.

Walking towards the sound of the crying, Naruto came to the sight of Inari crying, the young boy turning around when he sensed someone behind him and quickly rubbing his eyes. "What do you want? Here to belittle me even further like that woman?"

"No, I already did that…but I may have gone a little overboard," he started to say before the rest of what he said went through Naruto's mind. "Wait, woman? Do you mean Byakuya?" Naruto asked as Inari nodded, reluctantly explaining what happened after they left. Naruto just listened, nodding occasionally. Inari finally finished, looking down in shame as he saw Naruto sitting down out of the corner of his eye.

"Inari…listen. What you said wasn't entirely wrong, but not entirely right either," Naruto said, as Inari looked up at him in surprise. "Let me tell you something Inari: I…did not say that out of spite. I'm stubborn like that but…we heard about your father from Tazuna-san, Inari. I'm...a little like you. I never knew who my father was, but unlike you, I never knew who my mother was either. I'm an orphan…and before Sakura-chan came into my life, I didn't know what the meaning of "friend" was," at this, Inari looked to Naruto, surprised. He was sure that with the way Naruto acted that he had several friends during his past.

"But…with the way you act…I thought?" Inari slightly asked, causing Naruto to chuckle lightly.

"Even though I had nothing going for me, I never let it get to me. No matter the beatings, thrown out of places and other things, I never cried. The reason was that crying wouldn't do anything for me, but I got back at them. Not for revenge, but for people to recognize me and because of that…I will put my life on the line if it means I will accomplish that dream. I'm bored of crying…but…that's why I know what it means to be strong, just like your father. In fact, I may be one of the few people in the world to understand you the most. I'm going to let you in on a secret, what I said to you earlier…those are the same words that I've been telling myself over and over again," Naruto finished as he placed a hand on Inari's shoulder. "Think about what I said, okay? I'm going to sleep now." He said before standing up and heading inside, leaving Inari to think on what he heard, hearing music coming from somewhere above him.

* * *

Ark just hummed to the beat, chakra channeling through his fingers to ramp the sound of his instrument up a few decibels as the song reached its crescendo.

**In the passing season, in the current of cycling time  
Everything gets swallowed up  
I'll struggle on towards where you are**

**The day which where spent in conflict and even the nights  
When I crumbled in sorrow have begun to change into the provisions  
That keep me alive**

Soon, a deep beat joined the song. Turning his head slightly, Ark saw Kakashi standing back to back with him, his silver-moon electric bass strapped on. Nodding to each other, Ark continued his song.

**Listen, a heartless shout  
Listen a heartless cry  
Listen, a heartless world**

**I don't even know your whereabouts  
I don't even know your smile  
It's all been drained into a swirl of anxiety**

**The scars on my heart won't heal  
And the tears of my heart won't stop  
It seem I'll go mad, trapped in solitude **

The two jounin soon lost themselves in the song, the beat and lyrics were the only thing they could hear.

**As though the season we fell in love  
Just like the lovers of that one time, Everything is forgotten  
Without fail I'll come to be with you**

**The days which where spent in hatred and the nights  
When I suffered in despair  
They've changed into the provisions which compose me**

**At the promised place,  
Right now I'm waiting at a distance,  
Looking everywhere for you**

**But you won't appear  
Someone please answer me**

A few more rifts later, the song finished, leaving the two jounin standing in silence. The two didn't speak, since the song spoke for itself, letting the lyrics take their anger with it. Unbeknown to the two performers, a certain princess was listening in as silent tears streamed down her face. Why they were there, even she couldn't give a guess as to the feelings that flowing through her…

* * *

Speeding through the forest, the hyouton user added chakra to her legs, causing her to go even faster as trees passed by her. As she fled through the forest, she prayed to any god that was listening to her that the two of them would live through this. She knew her father was good, but she didn't know how long he could…she shook her head. She knew her father would hold them off long enough for her to get to her destination.

_Please…let me get there in time…Zabuza-sama…no…otou-san…he trusted me._ Haku thought as she continued on, her intent to get to the bridge builder's house as soon as possible to relay the information to Areku. Their lives depended on it…

* * *

Dragon and Sword Master: *goes through some hand seals before activating the Death Threat Protection technique* um…hey guys. Long time no see, huh? Sorry for taking so long to update, but as I said earlier: real life problems come first.

Byakuya: Who knew that Ark and Kakashi could sing and play instruments like that?

Kakashi: Well back in the 5th grade, we had several proficiency tests before going to Ninja Academy. One guy I knew took a sword proficiency class, while Ark and I took a music proficiency class.

Dragon and Sword Master: Speaking of which, the song they sung, _Cyclone_, is done by the band 12012 and is the ending song for the Romeo and Juliet anime. I do not own the song or anime it's from, but I highly suggest listening to the song. In addition, please don't forget to review. While I'm glad people are reading this and adding it to there favorite story/story alert lists, it's still a little disheartening to not see a single review. I like responding to them, it's my guilty pleasure.


	10. The Bridge Between Dreams & Nightmares 1

Dragon and Sword Master: Hello, anyone still with us? On behalf of FireSamurai and I, we would like to apologize for the long appointed wait. Hopefully this long chapter will make up for all the crap that we had, and still have to, put up with in real life.

Furthermore: Pictures from Animazement (on Memorial Day Weekend) are still up on youtube if anyone is curious to see any of my cosplay pictures or stuff that I bought. Just look for the username MeruWingly1.

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Bridge of Dreams and Nightmares Pt 1: The Assault **

Ninja by definition are supposed to be trained assassins; killers who could kill anyone or do any job for the right amount of money. They are to be the best of the best at what they did, the perfect weapon in the shadows versus the client's enemies. What people seem to forget is that ninjas are humans as well. They feel joy, pain, love, hate as any other human does.

Byakuya couldn't help but let the tears flow from her eyes as she listened to the song that the dragon sung, her imouto having left her for her room that she shared with the one called Sakura. She couldn't help but feel the sadness radiating off him, helping the tears flow swifter with the help of the stress from the last few days. Being captured, escaping only to be caught by the last person she expected, and being saved once more from someone she knew that would save her. Her breaking point just seemed to be when that little brat started badmouthing the work they have done, not even knowing what he was talking about. The blood, sweat and tears they shed during the war…

Shaking herself out of her reprieve, the princess realized that the ballad finished. She quickly wiped her eyes and silently climbed on top of the roof hoping to apologize to her old companion. Peaking over the edge of the roof, she saw the white-haired shinobi alone, Kakashi seemingly leaving the dragon to his thoughts and his guitar nowhere in sight. Steeling her nerves, she was above to approach him when he started to stand up and stretch.

Taking out a cancer stick and lighting it, Ark looked up to the sky and mumbled to himself.

"Things are starting to get real complicated real fast." Ark mumbled. Exhaling some smoke, the gunner pondered on his next course of action.

"If my instincts are correct," Ark said, more of the deadly air coming out of his nose. "Then those seals I placed up earlier should help give us some time."

_Seals?_ Byakuya thought. _What seals is he talking about, and when did he place them?_ The Kuchiki continued observing her old friend, watching him sigh as he started to rub his eye under the left side of his hitai-ate.

"I may even have to use that as well," Ark mumbled. He then sighed again. "I don't think Bya-chan is going to like it if I do."

_Use what exactly? Just what are you hiding you baka?_ While the Kazehime respected people's privacy (since she liked her own privacy), she couldn't help but feel irked that her one time teammate and close friend would hide things from her. Before she could continue her train of thought, she saw the white-haired shinobi once more take another poof of smoke.

"Going to have to go and see her after this too for some answers." Ark said as the smoke expelled from his mouth. "Wonder if she will be angry at me…" he could only sigh and shake his head at the thought. Who was he kidding? He would be pissed at himself too if he pulled what he did.

_She? Another person I don't know?_ Who could this she be? What does she have to do with Ark anyway? Just the thoughts and questions that surrounded Byakuya's mind started to make her head hurt. While these thoughts were swarming, she didn't know but to feel slightly angry at this. There was another woman in Ark's life that she didn't know? The Kuchiki couldn't help but think of many terrible ways of torturing the poor gunman for not telling her anything.

Sighing once more, unaware of his impending doom, Ark crushed the cigarette under his foot before continuing his train of thought. "After all this, I guess I better come clean with the squirts and Bya-chan too…." The gunslinger then heard a shuffle in the bushes, and in a flash, he had his weapons drawn at the ready.

"Who's there?" The person who stumbled out was the last person he expected. Haku appeared out of the bushes, several cuts and scrapes running up and down her body, all different types and sizes, her clothes and hair not fairing much better. Gone were the straight hair and tear-free clothes, as her hair was in array, some strands were cut and out of order. Her clothes had several tears in it, as well as what looked like small burn marks as well, along with some sign of fraying strands of fabric. _What happened to her and why isn't Zabuza here as well?_ Ark thought to himself before he heard a faint whisper coming from Haku.

"Ark…" was the only thing she said before her adrenaline stopped pumping her through the pain and the several wounds and light blood loss finally caught up to the young ice mistress as she passed out. Sighing lightly and mumbling under his breath, the gunslinger picked the ice mistress up and brought her inside before laying her down on the couch that he was laying on just a night ago. Searching around for a blanket and pillow, he made Haku as comfortable as possible before taking his guns out and placing them on the coffee table, the belt of ammunition following shortly after, but both in quick reach in case he needed them. He then went to wake up the others, feeling that shit just hit the fan…and he was the one holding the fan. He then headed back downstairs, hearing the ice maiden starting to wake up.

* * *

Haku was tossing and turning in her sleep as she relived the events that caused her to flee in the first place. Returning to their small tree house hidden within the forest surrounding the village, both Zabuza and Haku heard someone talking, saying something along the lines of already killing their previous employer for outliving his usefulness of getting a 'filthy dragon' here to the Village of Waves. Zabuza motioned for her to stay hidden as he went close to check out the private conversation between the two parties. Haku obeyed and stayed hidden within the foliage that the trees offered her, but moved a branch or two just enough so that it wouldn't make any noise and allow her to see Zabuza and aid him if the need arose.

Utilizing the training he received and gained from mastering the Silent Killing kenjutsu style, Zabuza got as close as he felt comfortable enough, feeling that he couldn't be spotted but yet could still hear what was going on. It sounded as if the man with the purple-tinted sunglasses was talking to several…creatures, as a blonde-haired person stood nearby. They weren't as tall as the Bijuu of legend, but they were taller than the usual land creatures that they represented. One was a spider whose body reached the start of the tree line, along with other various creatures that were not from around this forest…or for that matter, this plain of existence.

"…us to kill this mortal for you? What's in it for us, hm?" The spider-like creature asked, Zabuza just hearing the ending part of the conversation as he closed in on them. Luckily, the group didn't sense Zabuza and the hidden Haku, but the swordsman did not know how long that would last. Haku was also able to hear the conversation going on between the two humans and the several other creatures around them as well.

"Yeah, why should we work for you?" a young red-haired neko shouted, glaring at the two humans. Before he could continue in his response, the humans flared two separate auras, one accumulating into that of a dragon while the other one became a tiger, causing several of the demons to buckle down due to the auras pressing down so heavily.

Zabuza grunted lightly, the two auras pushing down on him as well. It was all he could do to continue standing and he sent a worried glance to where he thought Haku was, and if this was hard for him, he didn't want to think how his adoptive daughter was feeling.

The man with the purple-tinted sunglasses rose said glasses and looked the bakeneko straight into his eyes. "This is why you all should help us. We really don't need you due to our power; however, you have the numbers that we lack. Now then, you either help us, or die. Pick your options now," He said, starting with the bakeneko before talking to the demons in front of him as a whole.

Before long, several of the demons nodded their heads, recognizing that the humans in front of them were worthy of using their power. Not only were the auras they demonstrated strong, but they held a remarkable amount of darkness within them. If those two were ever to die, they would definitely become very strong yokai.

"Before we get to the terms of the agreement that you two have set forth, what should we do with the unwanted guests that we have here among us?" A humanoid yokai informed the beings there with a bored look, recognizing the two humans that were stinking up the place, and he wasn't talking about the two humans in front of him. This demon would also pass for human as well, if it weren't for two very prominent things: the mask that he was wearing on his face with an elongated nose, as well as two feathery wings protruding from his back.

"Exterminate them, quickly. I don't want that filthy dragon knowing of our plans just yet…," the man with the purple sunglasses stated, watching as the demons standing in front of them nodded before heading off to their master's bidding. In reality, she only heard Zabuza tell her to run and to warn Ark. She did so posthaste, hearing her father figure's sword in the distance, and several cries of pain before the demons were right on her heels. She did her best to run and get away from the several claws and demonic fireballs, but she could only do so much, especially since her ice wasn't a big help against the demonic fireballs colored a sickly green. As the ice maiden got close to Ark, the demons stopped and retreated, sensing a pure aura around the area, and recognizing some seals that were drawn in order to repel most demon kind.

However, this is where reality ended and the nightmare began, causing the young girl immense grief and pain, causing her to wake up with a cold sweat. Looking around, she started to get frantic, as she didn't recognize her surroundings.

"Calm down Haku-chan." Turning towards the voice, Haku's eyes widened when she saw Yugito sitting near her makeshift bedside. "Everything is going to be fine," Yugito said with a smile. Tears forming at the ends of her eyes, the ice maiden lunged forward, embracing the formerly trapped friend in a fierce hug.

"Oh Yugito-chan," She cried. "It was terrible, just terrible." Sobs wracked her body, her tears staining her friend's shoulder.

"Shhh," Yugito said, rubbing her back for comfort. "Everything is fine now. You're safe here." The ice maiden could only nod, a hiccup escaping every once and a while. Yugito continued rubbing Haku's back lightly, letting the ice maiden calm down. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked. Taking a few moments to compose herself, Haku started her tale of what happened at the greedy millionaire's base up to her appearing in front of the house half-dead.

"And that is what happened." Haku said calmly, before she realized something. Where was Zabuza-sama?

"He isn't here if you are wondering," both young women turned to the doorway to see Ark standing there, Byakuya standing next to him. "Zabuza that is." He said as the two veteran shinobi walked towards them, Byakuya going to Haku to check to see if she missed anything the first time she healed her. Hearing the news, Haku's hand gripped the sheets in anger and worry over her adopted father. Feeling a hand placed on her shoulder, she turned to a smiling Ark.

"Don't worry about him Haku," He reassured her. "He's one tough son of a bitch after all. I doubt some low ranking demons would take him down." With that, Ark and Byakuya turned to walk out the room. Before they left, Ark turned his head slightly to look at the ice maiden, "You just worry about yourself and rest for now." He then turned and mumbled only low enough for Bya-chan to hear. "We may need your strength later." With that, the two older nin left, leaving Yugito to take care of her, knowing that Haku was in capable hands with the neko Jinchuuriki. While the pair was in the hallway, Ark raised a hand and swept it across his hair, sighing lightly.

* * *

Naruto was having a good dream before he was roughly awakened by their second sensei. Growling lightly, Ark shrugged before heading over to Sasuke and doing the same thing to him. When he didn't wake up from the rough shaking of the shoulder like Naruto did, Ark got a little creative. The gunman drew water from the air around them, catching the water in his hands. He then opened them slowly, causing only a few drops to fall on the Uchiha. When that didn't work, he decided to drop the rest of the water in his hands on the boy's face, causing the young genin to sputter as he woke up, sputtering, coughing and glaring at the white-haired bastard of a sensei.

"Be downstairs in fifteen minutes and make sure not to wake anyone else up," was all he said as he left the room, causing both boys to groan lightly at having to wake up at what seemed like two in the morning. They knew that when they signed up to be shinobi that they would rarely have the luxury of sleeping in, but even they believed that waking up this early was too early. They were too busy on staying awake and getting downstairs to notice Ark leaving their room.

Ark then headed to Sakura's room, sighing lightly as he figured that Sakura would call him a pervert for sneaking into her room. Knowing that it had to be done, Ark slipped into Sakura's room, and headed to her sleeping form. He then shook himself lightly and headed over to her, leaning down before shaking her shoulder.

"Mhmm…what'cha want Naru-kun?" Sakura asked groggily, getting a light chuckle out of the gunman, figuring that something like this happened often in the past. This chuckle caused Sakura to wake up a little more. She was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she realized her second sensei was in her room. "Ark-sensei?" she asked as the man gave a nod of confirmation.

"I need you downstairs in fifteen minutes. If you make me come back up here to get you…," Ark said, leaving the rest of the sentence hanging, letting the girl to come up with her own scenarios before quickly nodding. Ark then headed back downstairs to help the situation in any way he could.

* * *

Ten minutes later, all members of Team Seven were awake and downstairs in the living room, either sitting or standing. Haku was now sitting on her makeshift bed, with Yugito sitting next to her. She was over her nightmare, but she still wished her father figure was here with them as well. Ark was standing as Byakuya took a chair next to him. Sasuke and Kakashi both opted to stand, not trusting themselves to stay awake. Naruto sat in another chair with Sakura snuggling in close to the blonde-haired male, trusting him enough to not try anything perverted and keep her awake, or in the off chance that she couldn't be wakened, fill her in on all the details.

Once everyone was in the room, Ark coughed into his hand to get everyone's attention. Seeing as all eyes were on him, Ark sighed as he started to speak.

"Sorry for the early wake up call but some important information has come in." At this point, his head turned slightly to Haku's direction. "And while this is hard to say, Team 7 genin: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Kinomoto Sakura, will escort both Nii Yugito and Momochi Haku back to Konohagakure no Sato and request back up." Gasps were heard all around with various reactions. Naruto, Sasuke, Yugito and Haku had looks of shock, the later two having looks of hurt on their face. Kakashi stood up straighter against the wall, wondering what the dragon was thinking as Sakura opened her eyes fully, the order shocking her awake. Oddly, Byakuya's face showed neither anger nor shock, accepting the order as it was. Expression shifting from shock to anger, Naruto quickly stood up and voiced his opinion.

"You want us to what?" Asked the genin, not believing he heard correctly. The gunner sighed, a hand running through his hair in annoyance. Whether at Naruto for questioning his orders, or him giving them in the first place he wasn't sure.

"You heard correctly." Ark started once again. "You five are to head back to the village and request back up. Kakashi, Byakuya and I are staying behind to finish the mission."

"Like hell I'm following that order!" Naruto yelled, his anger reaching its peak. "You expect us to abandon not only the people suffering in this town, but also our first real mission?" He just couldn't understand what the elder ninja was thinking. What changed in the past 24 hours to want them, the genin, to withdraw? Naruto had to clutch his fist in anger, making sure not to do something stupid, like punching through a wall.

Ark glared at Naruto, but understood all the same. If he were in the fox boy's shoes, he would exclaim in that same particular manner. Naruto glared at the man, hands grabbing into the arms of the chair he was holding. The fact that his knuckles were starting to turn white made Sakura tense, realizing just how pissed off he was starting to get. However, he paid no attention to it.

Sakura chose that time to interfere, hoping to calm the blonde down. Moving her hand to rest over his, Naruto moved his head to the side and looked at her quizzically, curious as to what she was doing. However, this brought him out of his glaring contest with the Jounin, and ultimately, calmed him down. Yugito looked over at the brunette girl sitting next to Naruto as she twitched lightly with jealously as Sakura calmed Naruto down. She wasn't sure why he was getting so mad in the first place…or why she felt jealous of her friend, if it was jealously in the first place. Ark never said or did anything without a good reason, even if he didn't explain himself half of the time. She made a mental note to talk to Hikaru after this conversation was over about it.

"Please…calm down Naru-kun. Ark-sensei must have a good reason for wanting us to head back," She pleaded, hearing the boy sigh and nod at her whispered words. He did glare at Areku, waiting for an explanation. Sakura also waited for an explanation, as did the other genin. They wanted to know why their secondary sensei was asking them to go back to Konohagakure so quickly, even after they knew this mission was bumped from a C-rank to an A-rank most likely.

"Circumstances here have gotten out of control way too quickly and have raised the rank of this mission far beyond your level. Tell Hokage-sama that we need backup even with a Seishin Masutā (Spirit Master) here. He will understand what I mean," Ark said in a non-nonsense voice as he stared into the blue irises of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He didn't want to pull rank, but he would if he had to. With a twirl of his coat, the tokubetsu jounin then started walking towards the door without another word.

As he left, information started to sink in; this was it…this was the end of their first official mission and it would end in failure. As these thoughts drifted through the minds of the genin in team seven, Sakura realized something. Ark left them a small, but unintentional, hint about himself. She also noticed Kakashi-sensei stopped slouching and stood up just a little bit straighter when Ark mentioned the term, 'Seishin Masutā.' Was this some sort of rank that she didn't know about, or was it something that they never taught in the Academy?

After a few seconds passed in a sort of awkward silence, Sakura decided to break it by asking the question that was bugging her ever since Ark-sensei left. "Kakashi-sensei…what is a Seishin Masutā?" she asked, causing Kakashi to sigh lightly, knowing that Areku would not want the genin to know so soon in their career.

"To understand what a Seishin Masutā is," Their sensei started, taking out his book and flipping it open. "You have to understand some history first." Kakashi subtlety looked over the top of his book with his lone eye, noticing that he had the attention of the genin.

"Before the hidden villages were born, even perhaps before the Rikudo Sennin, creatures with monstrous power roamed the lands." Their sensei started. "Stories say that they were so powerful that with just a stomp of their feet, mountains would crumble." Naruto and Yugito narrowed their eyes lightly at this, having a sneaky suspicion what creatures he was talking about.

"People lived in fear of these creatures. Whenever the creatures would approach the human villages, people would run in fear of them. This continued for decades, more and more people being killed by said beasts each time they decided to flee.

That was until a group of people decided to stop the chain of violence." Kakashi said. "This group of people wanted to stop running in fear of these creatures, to stop having to cower before their might. At first, the group decided to attack the creatures head on, having very little effect on the beasts. They tried various methods to get rid of the beasts but they all ended in failure. That was when one of the men had an idea.

His thought was to study the creatures and learn their ways, so to speak. Perhaps learn of a weakness of some sort. With this thought in mind, the group decided to watch the creatures and learn their habits. It was from this that they developed techniques to subdue the beasts and eventually rid themselves of them."

"If that's the case...then what happened to them Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as the genin looked towards the cyclopean jounin who just eye smiled in response.

"Well Sakura, as great as these people were, they were still human. They still aged and slowly with time, the creatures were able to dwindle down the group to only a few." Kakashi started once again. "With this, the group decided to teach their techniques to others, hoping for them to be able to continue their work to help humanity. Over time, their students taught others who taught others, and eventually the people who used the techniques became known as Seishin Masutā."

Sakura mulled over the information after it sunk in, still realizing that she didn't know what the Seishin Masutā rank meant. However, she figured that any more information and her brain would start hurting. She noticed that Yugito and the others were also deciphering and storing the information for later. Silence overtook them for a few minutes before Naruto broke it by asking a question that was on everyone's mind:

"If that's the case…then what does that have to do with Ark-sensei wanting us Genin to head back home?" he asked. Before anyone else could do anything, Byakuya moved to where Naruto was sitting and lifted him up and out of the chair by his neck, holding him to the wall as she glared daggers into the young man's eyes.

"Are you an idiot?," Byakuya said in a low and dangerous voice, almost daring the young boy to counter verbally somehow. "Think for a second! Use that brain of yours! What do you think is different now then before after you heard what Kakashi said," after a few seconds passed, Byakuya released the boy, causing Naruto to slump to the ground and start coughing as air started entering his lungs once again at a quickened pace. This caused both Sakura and Yugito to quickly head to his side to make sure he was all right.

"Bya-nee-chan…was that really necessary?" Yugito asked as she turned to the older female in the room. Sighing, the Kuchiki headed towards the door, probably going to search for the blind gunner.

"He has to learn its better to swallow your pride and live to fight another day rather then stay and die like a dog. There are just some things in this world you aren't ready to fight against yet." She said calmly before heading out, her words freezing the genin in place once more. Through it all, the silver-haired Jounin watched, believing that his genin might have just grown a little through the little encounter. Whether for better or worse, he would have to see.

* * *

The strong scent of grass and spring water filled her nose as she stepped out of the house, fireflies lazily floating in the air as they lit up the evening darkness with their soft glow. Sighing to herself, the sword wielding kunoichi looked up to the full moon above. How did things become so complicated? Why did this have to happen? Now, not only are the genin in trouble but also her imouto as well as Haku. Shaking her head, Byakuya started to head out in search of her gun wielding former teammate. It wasn't long before she heard the sounds of, "Seishin-tekina Fūinjutsu: Akuma Hanpatsu Shīru (Spiritual Sealing Technique: Demon Repelling Seal)!" and a flash of the seal being put in place.

"You think that will be enough to repel whatever the hell it is we faced?" She asked, getting a sigh and a shrug before watching him take another cancer stick out and lighting it.

"Probably not," Ark said, a puff of smoke coming out of his month, "But I set up several with in a 100 meters of the house so all them combined should be enough...I think."

"You think?" The wind princess said as she stomped up to him, grabbing him by his jacket and shaking him. "'You think' isn't good enough! We have to make damn sure these things work or else! Do you really want this place being swarmed by them? What if they get in? Do you seriously think-"

"I know!" The gunner yelled back, cutting her off. "Don't you think I know what is at stake here?" This stopped the black-haired kunoichi from her shaking, staring at her former partner who had a grim look on his face.

"I know what is as stake, especially with our imouto's life on the line." He said softly, placing his hands on top of hers. "And you know I will make sure that she will make it to Konoha safely with the others, I promise." After hearing those words coming from his lips, she knew that he meant it, just like that one time long ago…

Shaking her head, she said, "Alright, if you say so." A moment of silence passed between the two before she realized something. He had his hands on top of hers, and they were in the middle of the woods with fireflies floating around, creating a romantic atmosphere…in a flash, she quickly took her hands out of his, smacking him aside the head.

"What the hell?" Ark yelled back, confused at what just happened. First, they were getting comfortable like they use to when they lived in their home village, and the next minute, she hits him aside the head for no reason.

"Baka!" She yelled back at him, the darkness hiding a slight blush. "You know I can't stand that smoky breath of yours!" She said quickly, covering up her embarrassment. Ark just sighed as he turned away from the swordswoman, shaking his head in confusion. Women. Can't live with them, can't live with out them.

"Whatever," The Gunner grumbled. "I am going to put up more seals before I head back, just in case." Nodding at him, Byakuya turned to head back to the house to make sure the genin were getting packed. Before she left, however, the blind dragon called out to her.

"There is something you need to know." What he told her shocked her more than anything else did that was happening since this crazy mission started.

* * *

Naruto was back in his room, angrily packing his things. He couldn't believe that Ark-sensei wanted them to head back home. He knew Ark-sensei most likely had a reason, but he was still annoyed, especially when Byakuya choked him. _Why did she do that anyways? She wants me to run and live like a coward instead of staying, fighting and just maybe dying?_ He asked himself before going back to packing the few things that he brought with him into his bag.

**Naruto, she had a point** Hosaki said as Naruto froze for a few minutes, not liking the fact that his friend was siding with another female.

_What point was that? That I would rather be a coward than stand up for my beliefs?_ He asked sarcastically, getting a growl from the vixen.

**No, you wouldn't be a coward for running away when you cannot win a fight. Think about it this way and answer me honestly. Without my help, do you think that you could beat something by yourself that has three Jounin cautious and making preparations about ahead of time?**

Naruto thought about it for a few minutes as Hosaki stayed quiet, seeing the gears working in his mind as he came to an answer. It took him a few minutes before he came to an answer and it disturbed him just a little. It disturbed him because for the first time in his life, he was wrong.

_I'm sorry for being an idiot…Byakuya-san was right, and so are you. Without your power…and maybe even with it, I would probably just get in their way or die trying something foolish. _Naruto spoke silently, realizing the true point of what Byakuya and Hosaki were saying.

**You don't have to apologize for being an idiot Naru-kun. Just as long as you learn from your mistake, that's all I ask. Besides, just think of how sad you'll make Sakura-chan feel if you die for something as stupid as your pride.**

_W-what does she have to do with this?_ Naruto asked, blood heating his cheeks, as he started blushing, not seeing the grin that Hosaki had on her face at the effectiveness of teasing him about his female friend. He continued packing, ignored the laughter that he heard from the vixen. Finally finished, he was still not happy about having to leave so soon, especially when this village needed their help. Without them…he shook his head at those thoughts. No matter what happened, he wouldn't go down that road.

* * *

Two females were sitting on the couch and weren't packing. The reason that they weren't doing as Ark asked was that they had nothing to pack, which rather depressed both females. This just added to their auras of depression, even though the reason for each was different. For the blonde-haired Jinchuuriki, it was the fact that she was ordered back to Konoha with the Genin squad that was on this mission. This told the young woman that she would be more of a hindrance than of a help to the two people she considered her older siblings. She thought that after all the training with both Jounin she would at least be able to help with Areku's battle against minor demons and the like, but apparently, that wasn't the case.

This revelation made her feel even more depressed, as a few tears slowly leaked out of her eyes, even though she tried not to. She made a promise to herself when Areku took her out of Kumogakure not to cry anymore. Before any more tears could fall, her feline tenant spoke up.

**Now now Koneko-chan, what would your young foxling think if he came in and saw you crying like this, hm?** She asked, causing Yugito to cock her head to the side in idle curiosity.

_What do you mean oka-san?_

**I think you know whom I'm talking about, and a certain set of feelings you have for said boy** Hikaru replied back teasingly, causing Yugito to blush heavily once she got the meaning behind her mother's statement.

_I-I don't k-now what you mean,_ she stuttered, extremely embarrassed at her mother's teasing, which only got Hikaru to lightly laugh at her daughter's response and called her out on it.

**Are you sure about that? I can feel you blushing, and you've never stuttered before…** she said before getting a crazy grin on her face that suited Hosaki and Naruto more so than it did the feline bijuu. **Perhaps I should talk to Saki-chan, see if she can help play matchmaker for you and Naruto-san…**she said, causing Yugito to blush a new shade of red at that moment.

_Oka-san…_Yugito moaned lightly, getting annoyed at the teasing by her adopted mother. Hikaru grinned all the same though, seeing as her teasing brought the young Nibi Jinchuuriki out of her depressed state.

**What?** Hikaru asked innocently, causing Yugito to sigh as she decided against answering her mother. She knew what her mother was really trying to do all along, and she did want a distraction from her brief bout of sadness after all. Then again, her mother did have a point about Naruto…she blushed as she shook her head. Besides, even if she did have an attraction towards the blonde-haired male Jinchuuriki, it would feel wrong to intrude on the friendship that Sakura-chan and he already had. Seeing the thought process that was going on inside Yugito's head, Hikaru could only sigh at the road Yugito's thoughts were taking. The Nibi thought that her kitten deserved at least some type of happiness after all.

* * *

Sakura was packing the rest of her clothes and supplies into the bag she brought with her. Making a mental note to ask her brother about sealing scrolls once she got back home, she finished shortly after. Laying her bag on the bed where she and Yugito were sleeping on, she walked towards the window before looking out of it. She sighed lightly as she looked towards the town below them, knowing that they could help Tazuna by protecting him. However, if they were going back to Konoha, then what would happen to this land and its people?

Sakura continued packing as she heard the birds chirping outside. It sounded as if they already knew the sorrowful events that were going to happen since she and her team were leaving. _It's not fair!_ She thought to herself as she heard the door slam below, as well as various other sounds throughout the household. Figuring that it was either Byakuya-san or one of her two teachers that slammed the door in frustration or anger, she turned back to her packing. However, soon she stopped hearing the various sounds around her. Turning around, she saw an old man sitting down on the bed.

"Time-oji-san?" Sakura asked, surprised at the elderly man's appearance. Before she could say anything else, the shadow at her feet lengthened and grew before forming into a hooded cape, a male underneath it. "Shadow-kun?" She asked, even more confused. Why were two of her stronger cards out here in their avatar form?

"Sakura-sama, there are several things that we must discuss with you post haste," Shadow stated as Sakura slowly started getting her grips on the situation and asked what they wanted to speak of.

"We do Sakura-chan. Lady Dark wished for me to inform you about a great threat to your life and you know how much we worry about you, even if some do not show it." He said, throwing the slight barb in at Shadow's personality. Shadow ignored it and went to tell his mistress what was about to come.

"Powerful demonic auras have been sensed in the area, Sakura-sama." Shadow said in a serious tone. "Lady Light was able to determine that they were low-class and mid-class demons, but they have slowly been disappearing over the past few hours. They, however, aren't the main worries…two beings are controlling them."

"These two beings are what have your teachers scared Sakura-chan. They don't know what they're capable of and are trying to protect you by sending you away…I have a feeling they don't like doing it as much as you and the others do." Time said as he noticed his body was starting to fade, as Shadow's body started becoming translucent.

"Time-oji-san, Shadow-kun?"

"It seems the time we've been allotted to talk has been used up Sakura-chan, I'm sorry we couldn't…" and at that, both the Time and the Shadow reverted into their card forms, Time's card laying on the bed as Shadow's card floated down to the floor. Sakura picked the cards up before looking at the two of them for a few seconds.

"Time-oji-san, Shadow-kun…thank you," she said before putting them back into her deck and the deck back into her pocket. She sighed lightly once again, as she processed the information her cards gave her as she finished packing.

Seeing that she still had a few minutes to kill, she picked up her deck and started thumbing through it, name side up remembering when her brother gave her the cards that made her father famous before. She looked down and saw two humanoids looking back at her, remembering that one was a female and one was a male, the name of the card giving her a crazy and Naruto-like idea.

"I wonder…" she thought to herself as she kept the Twin card out before putting the rest of her deck in one of her pockets, idly wondering if she should get something specialized for them.

* * *

Sasuke glared at his bag in anger. Sasuke just knew that if he returned without his mission being complete that he would hear about it from his father, even if it were an order from one of the three Jounin. He could just hear the words coming from his father right now.

_I'm so insulted by your performance Sasuke-kun. At your age, Itachi-kun already completed ten C-ranks and five B-ranks. I don't know what you're doing, but you need to get better, or else…_

Sasuke growled as those supposed words went through his head. _Why is it always Itachi that he sees pride in? What about me? _Sasuke asked himself as he took his anger out on the packing bag he brought with him. He thought that with the mission that he was on, he would be able to unlock his Sharingan, and finally gain some praise from his father, finally being called his father's son.

"Of course that's not going to happen, all because sensei got scared," he growled out, knowing that his saying and thoughts were borderline insubordination, but at the moment he didn't care. He wanted to vent his anger at anything.

"Damn it Aniki, why did you have to set the bar so high?" he asked sarcastically, wishing that his brother didn't have the achievements that he did half the time, this being one of those times.

* * *

On the outside, the raven-haired beauty known as Haku was perfectly fine. However, on the inside was another story altogether. Mentally, the young girl was worrying over her father-like figure, hoping that he was still alive. Granted Areku said that a few demons would hardly take him down, but still, she was worried. Then there was that order from the gunman as well…to pack up and leave the island of the waves and to head back to Konoha with the other genin. This unnerved her greatly, especially since she wanted to help fight and to find her master. Until she saw him with her own eyes, her heart wouldn't take the gunman's words as truth. Her brain would, but her heart wouldn't.

She looked around the room with empty eyes, wishing that she could be doing anything instead of just waiting here and doing nothing. She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid of what would happen to her in Konoha, especially after witnessing her father kill her mother and almost being killed herself as well. She was afraid of what would happen should their council find out about her bloodline limit. She then shook her head to clear those negative thoughts from her head. She had a feeling that if their council tried something like that, then at least Areku would stand up for her.

After shaking her head to get rid of the depressing thoughts, Haku noticed Sakura coming down the stairs with a grin on her face that just screamed that she was up to no good. _What is she up too…_the ice wielder thought to herself. She then noticed Naruto and Sasuke come down as well.

* * *

Naruto came downstairs, still annoyed that they were leaving but at least he understood the reason. He then saw the grin that was on Sakura's face after realizing that all five of them were still waiting on whoever was going to escort them off the Island of Waves.

"What type of devious plan have you thought up Sakura-chan?" He asked accusingly, assuming that Sakura came up with a plan that was so crazy that only Naruto would think of it. Sakura smiled innocently.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Naru-kun," she said with a straight face, not giving anything away. He continued starting at her for a few minutes before she finally succumbed to the blonde male's staring.

"Alright, you win. How do you do that anyways?" She asked, noticing Naruto grin at the comment, which caused her to pout. "Fine, be that way. I'll just tell everyone else about my plan to stay here and help while you go back to Konoha and miss all the fun," Sakura said, teasing Naruto. Of course, as soon as she those words, he did a quick one eighty and apologized not hearing the laughter or the word 'whipped' coming from Hosaki as Sakura told them her plans…

* * *

Golden rays of light slowly started to peak over the horizon, covering the soon to be battlefield. Small wisps of breath escaped from the white-haired gunner as he stood next to Kakashi on the unfinished bridge, morning mist surrounding the two nin. Taking another cancer stick out, the gunner tried calming himself. While he was physically ready, mentally was another story. Having decided that Byakuya would guard the genin until they got to the port incase of an ambush, Ark couldn't help a sense of dread filling him. As much as he planned, there was always that sense of doubt that he overlooked something and something goes wrong. He couldn't forgive himself if something happened to-

"Maa maa," Kakashi said, as he looked to his partner over his perverted novel. "There is no reason to psyche yourself out before the enemy even arrives." Kakashi then gave his patented eye smile. Sighing slightly to himself, the gunner couldn't help but give a small chuckle to his senpai.

"Hai, you are right." The dragon responded. "I am just-"

"Hai, hai," the son of the White Fang said, cutting him off. "I am worried for our cute little students as well, but they have Kuchiki with them. They will be fine." The one-eyed Jounin then turned away from his partner to look over to the uncompleted side of the bridge.

"Besides," He sighed. "It seems we have our own guests to entertain before we can check up on them," from out of the mist came two figures. One was tall and lanky with dark-brown hair, while the other, slightly shorter in nature but a more muscular build with slicked back blonde hair, stood in the distance. While surprised, Kakashi hid it well under his mask as he saw their opponents.

"So are these…?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah," Ark said, taking Shimo and Nobara out.

"I see," Kakashi nodded. Putting his book away, the lone son of the Hatake clan moved his hand to his forehead protector. "I can see why. Perhaps we should get serious, eh?" Seeing their reactions, the lanky figure couldn't help but chuckle.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend?"

"Shut up you bastard!" Ark growled, his twin guns aimed at the speaker. "I don't know what your game is, but I won't let you pass." A growl escaped the speaker's partner, dark whitish-blue sparks coming off his body. The speaker then turned to his partner, said something, and immediately the sparks stopped.

"Now now," The lanky one started again, "We aren't here to fight, merely to talk."

"Well if you wish to talk," Kakashi said, eye smiling but having his hand ready to reveal his trump card, "Perhaps we can talk about you surrendering quietly, and we can continue with our mission peacefully." Their opponent merely chuckled at that.

"Still as funny as ever, aren't you Kakashi-senpai?" Their opponent responded. "Now then, you should know me better then that." The successor to the white fang merely shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

"Now that the witty banter is out of the way," The lanky one said. "We have a proposal for you, Tenjin Areku."

"And what would that be?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. What was this guy trying to play at? The other side merely gave a sly grin at the question.

"We merely want you to join us is all," he responded. "We want you as an ally in the unavoidable war that is about to occur." The gunner merely laughed at the request.

"And why, pray tell, would I ever join you?" It was then that their opponent's grin got even slyer.

"Well you really don't have a choice in the matter." He responded. "For if you don't, then there is no telling what will happen to your students or your once beloved teammate." A shot was heard as the ground next to the speaker turned to ice.

"What did you do to them?" the Dragon asked; his voice cold as the ground he shot at. The enemy merely continued to grin that damnable grin of his.

"We merely sent out a welcome party for them at the send off point," He responded again. "Just a couple of demons is all. I think one of them being from the mist, I believe?"

"What did you do to Zabuza?" Ark asked irritably.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" The opponent asked in response. "After seeing our power, he merely decided he wanted to be on the winning side is all."

"Liar!" the gun-wielder said, his anger slowly getting the better of him. The enemy merely sighed.

"Believe me or not, it's all up to you." He said. His face then turned serious. "So what will your response be Ark?" A few moments passed before Ark responded. The Dragon looked to the Fang and both nodded in understanding. They would have to finish this fast in order to help the others.

"I don't know what the hell you are, but I won't let you lay a hand on my comrades again." Ark then got into a ready stance. "Come at me…Midou Ban!"

* * *

FireSamurai: Seems like things are starting to heat up in Wave.

Dragon and Sword Master: Also, some of you might notice that we are focusing a little more on our Original Characters at the moment. Right now, we're trying to flesh them out as best as possible without totally taking the spotlight away from Naruto and the others, and adding both personality and flaws to each of the characters. This way, they aren't just Mary Sues.

FireSamurai: Also, bonus points go to anyone who can recognize the anime that we took Midou Ban from and if you don't already know the anime, both I and Ryu here recommend our fans to watch it. Also, there will be many references to both animes and video games throughout the story and we will be curious to see how many our readers/fans recognize. As a bonus chapter after the story is complete, we will compile a list together of all the references we made throughout the story

Dragon and Sword Master: Now then, once again I would like to remind fans that I have pictures up on youtube for the annual anime-con that I go to, Animazement. Just search for MeruWingly1 to see any pictures that I took during the three days of awesomeness. In addition, if you like the story and this chapter in particular, could you take a few minutes to push the review button down below and give us your thoughts?


	11. Important News, please read

I know I have been inactive on the site for a while, but I have continued to write. However, that isn't important. Not now. Right now, this notice is of the importance that is SOPA. The Obama Administration is trying to add SOPA, or at least parts of SOPA, into law. What does that mean? It means that anything deemed "Copyrighted" is now associated with extreme jail time and being branded a felon for breaking this law. A FELON. For uploading a lyric video, for uploading a video game play through or someone doing karaoke…what's even worse you ask?

The government is trying to do this UNDER THE RADAR OF EVERYONE. That's right people, they're trying to add this bill silently. If we don't fight this off like we did in 2012, then it's gonna happen all over again: They're going to take over our rights; our rights that are supposed to be protected by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution…Apparently not anymore. This is just the first stone. If this passes…just think how quickly the first stone will cascade to an avalanche that we can do nothing about. Fanon will be a thing of the past people…

Don't believe me? I can completely understand. I was a skeptic myself, but these links below are true and made me see the light myself. Let's rally up once again to destroy this bill HOPEFULLY FOR THE LAST TIME! Remember to take out the spaces and replace "dot" with a "." We need to stand up for our freedoms once again. One more time…let's take this bill and kill it dead.

-Dragon and Sword Master as of 8/24/2013

www dot washingtonpost dot com / blogs / the-switch / wp / 2013 / 08 / 05 / sopa-died-in-2012-but-obama-administration-wants-t o-revive-part-of-it/

www dot dailybinarynews dot com / sopa-died-in-2012-but-obama-administration-wants-t o-revive-part-of-it/

www dot youtube watch?v=1fTt4K4Cae4


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